Comparison of 15 English children (mean age 7.5 years) with specific language difficulties and 12 similar children with mathematical difficulties found few differences in their ability to process 2- and 3-digit numbers. Results suggest that a language difficulty may underlie delayed performance in mathematics. (DB)

Clarifies aims and objectives of school algebra, reviews research on students' performance, and suggests curriculum modifications. This article is one of the keynote addresses of the Algebra Working Group of the Seventh International Conference on Mathematical Education held in Quebec City, Canada in August 1992. (26 references) (Author/MKR)

Probit analysis of arithmetic scores from the Young Adult Literacy Assessment Survey (840 males and 1,077 females) found that quantitative literacy skills are a major factor in the likelihood of full-time employment. Low quantitative literacy appears to be associated with the lower probability of employment among young African Americans. (SK)

Linear modeling of data from 591 Iowa secondary students (grade point average, state percentile rank, and Work Keys test scores) revealed disparities in prior academic achievement and Work Keys math scores between students in applied academics and students in traditional academic courses. (SK)

Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) mathematics scores of eighth graders who had received music instruction were compared according to whether the students were given private lessons. Analyses indicate that students who had private lessons for two or more years performed significantly better on the composite mathematics portion of the ITBS than did…

Reports the data from 242 beginning student teachers in New Zealand about their feelings/attitudes toward mathematics, and from 166 of them regarding their understanding of mathematics. Indicates that a significant proportion of the students have deeply negative feelings/attitudes and lack understanding of relatively simple mathematics. (Contains…

Explores gender differences in the mathematics achievement of students in the last grade of high school and changes in these differences over a 10-year period in the United Arab Emirates. Indicates no significant overall differences but in the last six years females scored higher, although effect sizes were small. (Contains 28 references.)…

Questionnaires involving attitudes towards mathematics and achievement in mathematics given to (n=1,082) high school seniors found that the means of each attitudinal variable were not much different among the 3 groups, but that high- achieving students consistently showed a small deviation on each attitudinal variable. Includes mathematics…

Research indicates that state-mandated tests (like ISTEP+, the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress Plus) can catalyze school improvement. A focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and parental involvement boosted third-graders' ISTEP+ math achievement scores in one Indiana district. (Contains 15…

Study examines whether the implementation of an instructional management system served to improve student math achievement and the classroom instructional environment. In addition, the study examined the extent to which adding a curriculum-based monitoring system to an ongoing math curriculum would result in positive changes in the classroom…

Highlights the findings of the performance assessment component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), discussing implications for future assessments and issues for further analysis and research. The TIMSS has demonstrated the feasibility of large scale performance assessments, but what the numbers really mean remains to…

Interview-based study investigated epistemologies of practicing British mathematicians, noting the impact on how they conducted their professional lives and examining sex differences in their careers. Relates findings to mathematics learning in schools, noting lessons to be learned regarding equally achievable mathematics success by any student.…

Describes progress of efforts of four Title I elementary schools in Idaho to raise student scores on state-mandated mathematics tests. Variations in patterns of progress among schools were attributed to differences in staff commitment and principal leadership. (PKP)

A sample of 293 local district assessments used in the Nebraska STARS (School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System), 147 from 2004 district mathematics assessment portfolios and 146 from 2003 reading assessment portfolios, was scored with a rubric evaluating their quality. Scorers were Nebraska educators with background and training…

The situations created by individual style of problem solving in mathematics by children are discussed. Children can solve their mathematical problem by correcting their misconceptions on their own with the use of open discussions with others.