The need for a mathematics placement test was acknowledged because a number of students registered in introductory algebra (Math 110) were struggling with problems involving only arithmetic operations. A placement test was selected with the intention to effectively detect students with arithmetic deficiencies and place them in a remedial…

The effects of a nearly complete standards-based system in mathematics were evaluated. The Pittsburgh Public School system, Pennsylvania, has adopted a standards-based system that has been largely put into place between 1992 and 1998. The program includes content and performance standards, standards-based assessments, standards-based instructional…

The mathematics achievement and mathematics attitudes of eighth-grade female students attending independent coeducational middle schools were compared with those of students in independent all-girls middle schools. Participants were 467 8th-grade girls from 10 all girls middle schools, 208 girls from 10 independent coeducational middle schools,…

The literature is rich with studies investigating gender differences in math, science, and technology. While some inequities have been evidenced and studied for years, we are still finding out many new sources of gender bias in the classroom. That girls think and learn differently as well as interact with equipment differently from boys is a major…

This large-scale international comparative study addresses changes in students' math- and English-related self-concept of ability, subjective task-value and interest. Australian (N=1,323) and American (N=651) students are from two separate studies with similar designs and samples, in three cohorts spanning grades 7 to 11 in Australia and 7 to 12…

The main objective of this study was to show whether eighth graders' performance on standardized mathematics tests could be predicted from a variety of variables. These predictors included gender, race, socioeconomic status, and previously earned grades in mathematics. Data came from the base year of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of…

In December 2000, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) a 5-year contract to develop and refine an educational reform model to help low-performing districts and schools improve student achievement in reading or mathematics. Drawing on over 3 decades of research, SEDL developed the Working…

To determine the effects of both sex and ethnic background on mathematics achievement, 112 Mexican-American and Black adolescents were studied. Achievement scores, parental influence, and math attitudes were analyzed. Ethnic background seemed to exert a much greater effect on mathematics achievement than did gender. (PP)

The relationships among (a) student and group characteristics, group interaction, and achievement in small groups in junior high school mathematics classrooms and (b) the stability of these relationships over time were investigated. Interaction in the group was a potent predictor of achievement. (Author/LC)

Questions that parents, students, and teachers have frequently asked about the meaning of grade equivalent scores are answered, and implications for gifted students are considered. Facts concerning achievement test scores, content, and the norm group are indicated. (SEW)

This study was conducted to determine if use of discovery methods (multiple-choice generalization or written generalization) would have differential effects on mathematics achievement and attitudes of college students in remedial mathematics. No significant difference between the two was found. (MNS)

The relationships among students and group characteristics, group interaction, and achievement in cooperative small groups were investigated. Three categories of interaction were related to achievement: receiving no explanation in response to a question or error was negatively related to achievement; giving explanations and receiving explanations…

The effects that locus of control has upon mathematics achievement were analyzed using inductive and deductive methods of instruction. The analysis revealed a significant interaction for the subtest of items testing lower-level understanding. (Author/PN)

Describes an informal project that rescued the 1926 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) from oblivion and administered it to a group of college students in 1980-81. Suggests the usefulness for this SAT as a prediction instrument today because of its excellent reliability and interest correlation. (PAS)

Assessed the success of an Upward Bound program by increasing achievement and college attendance. Results indicated significant gains in both language arts and quantitative skills. Results also suggest the impact of the program is incremental: More program participation generates more successful outcomes among participants. (Author)