The results of standardized tests are misused and often do more harm than good, according to William W. Cooley, professor and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The results seldom assist anyone in improving instruction. Too many out-of-school variables such as social-economic status influence test scores. Achievement is…

Surveys indicate that while most elementary and secondary school teachers have access to microcomputers, the majority have not applied computer technology in their classrooms. Some teachers are apprehensive and negative toward computers, but in many cases this reflects a lack of information and training and a perceived shortage of software more…

Vocational education teachers can use a variety of teaching methods and classroom techniques to help their students develop good work attitudes. First, the teacher can serve as a role model, acting as students should act when they are employed in industry. Along with role modeling, teachers should make sure that attitudinal development finds its…

Offering guidelines for future Follow Through program design, documentation, and evaluation, this paper examines the bases of criticisms of standardized tests, describes learning characteristics of black children, and briefly enunciates a system for Follow Through evaluation efforts. Discussion of standardized tests addresses the following…

The Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) utilize the state mandated testing of students in grades 3, 5 and 8 with the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) as an accountability index. The district has set objectives to be met by teachers and students. The Department of Instructional Research, Testing, and Evaluation (IRTE) District Program…

The California Assessment Program (CAP) presents the Survey of Basic Skills report for grades 3 and 6 of an Alameda County elementary school for 1982. This report begins with an overview of school and district achievement and progresses to more detailed information related to performance in specific skill areas and scores for different groups of…

The findings of research on computers and teaching are reviewed in this monograph, both to provide useful guidelines for teachers, and to serve as a reference point for further research. Research results are organized around the following topics: (1) computer availability and use; (2) classroom applications--computer assisted instruction, computer…

This set of papers, selected from presentations at the Fourth and Fifth Annual Conferences of the Research Council for Diagnostic and Prescriptive Mathematics, are of primary interest to mathematics educators. In the first paper, Romberg describes a model for diagnosing mathematical learning difficulties which extends the diagnostic process beyond…

Interactive decision making (IDM) refers to teachers' selection and rejection of alternative courses of action during instruction. Previous research indicates that teachers report making interactive decisions when their plans are disrupted. A study generated hypotheses about teachers' IDM using the grounded theory approach--an inductive system for…

Four major problem areas inhibit the standardized assessment of critical thinking (CT): (1) content validity; (2) construct validity; (3) technical jargon; and (4) background knowledge. Practical examples of framing multiple-choice items for assessment are suggested. In the area of content validity, new agreement about the definition of CT now…

The history of a statewide effort to improve student learning in Missouri by adopting the concept of an Instructional Management System (IMS) with desired learned outcomes determining both instruction and testing was suggested to local school districts in 1980. In 1985, legislation provided funds and authority to engage large groups of teachers in…

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in demographic variables, mean attitude score, reliability of response, variability of response, and level of item completion among respondents to an initial survey mailing, to the first follow-up, to the second follow-up, and to a telephone interview. The first mailing included a cover letter,…

To determine the relative reliabilities and validities of paper-based and computer-based measurement procedures, 83 male student pilots and radar intercept officers were administered computer and paper-based tests of aircraft recognition. The subject matter consisted of line drawings of front, side, and top silhouettes of aircraft. Reliabilities…

In June 1986, 281 Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students rewrote one or more sections of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) because, with few exceptions, they did not pass on a previous administration. A study was conducted to investigate the performance of these students on the four CLAST subtests and to compare their…

In recent years, the Florida State Legislature has mandated that all students who enter colleges and universities must write one of four test batteries for the purpose of placement and that all students are required to pass an exit exam, the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), at the end of the sophomore year. This paper examines the…