In an exploration of customizing the Major Field Achievement Test in Political Science (MFATPS), developed by the Educational Testing Service, a questionnaire was sent to the heads of political science and joint departments which offer a bachelor's degree in Political Science. A total of 1,017 departments were surveyed in January 1990; 293…

The use of a variation of linear programing (goal programing) to develop a test blueprint with multiple specification requirements, is the topic of this paper. The computer program STORM was used to develop a table of test specifications for a test that would measure achievement in introductory statistics in the subdomains of frequency…

This paper documents the achievement monitoring component of a three-year study on the acquisition of addition-subtraction problem-solving skills by young children. A set of performance objectives contained in or ancillary to ten instructional units on sentence-writing for verbal problems and algorithms specified test content. Tests measuring…

The impact of college on vocabulary and mathematics achievement test scores was studied. Identical tests were administered to students before they left high school and 7 years after high school graduation. The research design controlled for socioeconomic background and initial ability levels as measured in high school. Analyses for blacks and…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a curriculum for increasing the cultural knowledge and self-esteem of minority group Filipino elementary school students residing on the island of Guam. The sample consisted of four fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes attending four Catholic schools. The total number of students in each…

CSAR (Characteristic Storage And Retrieval) is the name of an interactive item bank system for the storage, retrieval, manipulation, and summarization of information about multiple choice test items. The purpose of the system is to facilitate the test construction process. The system has two main components: one or more item banks and an…

The instructional strategy for the promotion of mastery learning in Korean middle schools included educational diagnosis, compensatory programs, formative tests, remedial and enrichment programs, cooperative learning and summative tests. The Mastery Learning Project is seen as providing more systematic and massive innovation efforts in the…

The relative strengths and predictive relationships among three cognitive measures (ACT subscores, preprofessional grade point average, and Allied Health Professions Admission Test subscores) and first-year academic success in allied health curricula were examined. Methodology is described and findings presented. Preprofessional grades generally…

The advantages of a defined syllabus in second language teaching, especially in relation to public examinations, are discussed. The origin and development of the York defined syllabuses are described, and extracts are given from the introductory document and the French and Russian syllabuses. (RM)

This report presents results for Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) high school students on four tests of the College Board in the 1983-84 school year. These tests, ordered by the number of MCPS students taking them, are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), the Achievement Tests…

In 1989, a survey was conducted of 1,003 two-year colleges and 997 four-year colleges to identify criteria used to place students into Calculus I and II, determine respondents' perceptions of the effectiveness of the placement procedures, and gather information on the first-year calculus curricula of the schools. Study findings, based on usable…

Biology 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. Intended for administration during June 1989, it contains 70 multiple-choice questions and 7 written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included since scoring is done by the provincial education department. The…

Chemistry 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the final test for the course. Intended for administration during June 1989, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and 3 written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for completing the test. No answer key is included since scoring is…

Raising the level of academic achievement of all students in New Jersey has been a major goal since 1982. As a part of that effort, the focus has changed from the low expectations of the Minimum Basic Skills program to the more rigorous demands of the High School Proficiency Test. This report includes background information on the effort to…

Commercial achievement tests often provide limited instructional guidance and seldom provide feedback specific to any given classroom. The most instructionally relevant achievement tests are those developed by an individual teacher for use with a particular class. This digest describes the steps of test construction and presents suggestions for…