This package contains self-paced training materials for mental health aides, designed to increase career mobility for lower grade Civil Service employees by preparing them to pass a Civil Service examination for upgrading. Procedures are described whereby the materials were developed by educational personnel at several adult education centers and…

A study examined whether career academy programs, with their tailored curricula, dilute content of required curricula, and whether academy students who follow this alternative course of study are less prepared to score well on standardized tests. Data were gathered through site visits to seven schools, review of reports and documents, and…

This study described a program for reducing students' anxiety during testing. The targeted population consisted of seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students in public schools (three middle schools and a high school) located in a medium sized urban area in the Midwest. Evidence for the existence of the problem was based on student written responses…

A College Board-sponsored survey of a nationally representative sample of takers of the 1995-96 SAT I: Reasoning Test yielded a database for more than 4,000 examinees, about 500 of whom had attended formal coaching programs outside their schools. Several alternative analytical methods were used to estimate the effects of coaching on SAT scores.…

Examines the impact of multiple skills assistance on preservice teachers preparing for standardized tests. Finds significant gains in reading, mathematics, and writing skills. Demonstrates that a single comprehensive skills laboratory operated by a differentiated staff is a sensible method of procuring appropriate intervention for future teachers.…

Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

The effects of varying placement of a review period and test expectancy on students' notetaking, review strategies, and performance on delayed free recall, application, and cloze tests were studied for 156 undergraduates. The benefits of reviewing notes and optimal placement of the review period partly depended on the test type. (SLD)

Yearly in Sao Paulo (Brazil), official external examinations allow students outside the regular school system to obtain a certificate of education equivalent to grade 8 or 11. A television program that prepares candidates for the examinations and other forms of preparation are compared, using data collected for three years. (TJH)

From a survey of Arizona teachers/administrators and observations in two elementary schools concerning the role of external testing, a typology of teacher orientation toward preparing students to take high-stakes achievement tests is identified. Eight categories of teachers' approaches are contrasted with meanings of test preparation held by other…

Effects of standardized testing on teaching and learning were studied in a survey of 341 elementary school teachers in 9 states, focusing on the meaning of test scores and test-score gains. Results indicate that standardized testing has considerable effects, and that teachers feel considerable pressure to improve student scores. (SLD)

A challenge for many EAP teachers working on pre-sessional programs is to find ways to reconcile the dual aims of preparing students for university study and for the IELTS test. The study described here seeks to provide some guidance on this issue through an analysis of the type of writing required in the two domains. We compared the standard…

With his 10th book, Improving Test Scores: A Practical Approach for Teachers and Administrators, Scott Mandel outlines steps educators can take to boost achievement on standardized exams while maintaining the integrity of their day-to-day teaching. Mandel, who holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from USC, teaches history and English at…

The effects of standardized testing on schools and on the teaching and learning processes within schools were studied using responses from upper elementary school teachers in matched pairs from 11 medium-to-large school districts in 9 states. In all, 341 teachers responded to a 136-item questionnaire prepared for the study that explored the amount…

The goal of this study was to understand the role that external testing plays in elementary schools. Focus was on uncovering teachers' beliefs about testing and preparing students to take tests, how these beliefs and values are organized, and what implications they might have on practice. To accomplish this, the day-to-day life in classrooms and…

This study guide is designed for those individuals who are preparing to take the Georgia Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in early childhhood education. Educators from across the State of Georgia participated in the preparation of this guide. The TCT in early childhood education addresses seven areas: (1) art; (2) language arts; (3) mathematics;…