Results of 120 studies were combined by meta-analysis to determine effects on mathematics test performance of factors other than knowledge of content. Conditions that enhanced performance included testwiseness training, praise, word problem pictures, and frequent testing. Conditions depressing or not affecting performance were also noted. (MNS)

Test performances of sophomore medical students on a pretest and final exam (under guessing and no-guessing instructions) were compared. Discouraging random guessing produced test information with improved test reliability and less distortion of item difficulty. More able examinees were less compliant than less able examinees. (Author/RH)

Discusses the development of art education since World War II, arguing for a return to a disciplined teaching approach which would deemphasize rote memorization of the "masterpieces" for testing purposes. Instead, it would focus on the attention, passion, and play that comes from making and responding to art. (GEA)

Presents (1) a dialogue approach to spelling for remedial students, (2) a list of activities that can encourage students to be active readers of poetry, (3) guidelines for modifying tests for mainstreamed students, (4) a method of encouraging efficient notetaking which utilizes active class involvement, and (5) the addresses of several…

Teachers concerned about excessive testing may be depriving themselves of useful information provided by standardized achievement tests and their own exams. Teachers tend to separate testing from teaching. This article explores the relationship among data collection, curriculum planning, and instruction and gauges the impacts of mandated…

Describes two recent court cases that demonstrate the difficulty of balancing the emphasis on drug detection with the privacy rights of students. Concludes that school officials should not be quick to assume that reasonable suspicion exists. (IW)

The decision by the Connecticut State Board of Education to endorse use of calculators on the state's new eighth-grade mastery test was followed by the purchase of calculators for the students. The role of calculators in society and the curriculum is discussed, as well as testing goals. (MNS)

Recent surveys reveal that writing assignments in most secondary schools are mechanical and trivial in nature. The fate of writing and of the total curriculum are intertwined. The mechanics of writing, writing and testing, writing across the curriculum, back to the basics, etc., are discussed. (MLW)

Analyzes score differences for the papers of 50 students who wrote on four different writing topics, two that were on transactional and two that were on expressive topics. Results suggested that differences between scores might be very important for individuals, so to insure fairness, teachers should use additional forms of writing assessment. (DF)

Included are brief articles on multiplication of negative integers and testing knowledge by asking true-false questions that involve a relatively high level of abstraction. A number of specific examples are included. (MNS)

Explores whether there is a component of mathematics anxiety distinct from numerical anxiety and mathematics test anxiety. A 30-item instrument was administered to 365 community college students. A factor involving anxiety associated with specific mathematics topics, labeled "abstraction anxiety," was found. (MNS)

Discusses authenticity in language testing in relation to the language proficiency movement. Looks at both sociolinguistic and psychometric principles as they are concerned with authenticity and validity as well as the inferential distance that separates face validity from techical validities. Criticizes the belief that some test type possess…

The effect of microcomputers as testing tools was investigated in this study. The performance of students on a classroom evaluation and their attitude about computers were not affected when the evaluation was administered on a microcomputer. Time requirements for this method of testing were also tested. (Author)

Data collected in Britain on 15,000 children aged seven, 11, and 16 over a 26-year period were examined to determine mathematical attainment of geographically mobile children. Discussed are reasons why a literature review indicated that research evidence on the effects of school changes are contradictory and inconclusive. (MNS)

The study examined correlations between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 44 learning disabled primary and intermediate special class students. The Mental Processing and Achievement scales of K-ABC…