Problem solving in mathematics incorporates abstract thinking skills, number logic skills, and a nearly endless list of other factors. One problem-solving task required in university-level mathematics courses is integration. This study investigated instructor presentation of a specific problem-solving strategy and whether it impacted performance…

This study considers the effects of Jostens Learning Corporation's Integrated Learning System (ILS) on the mathematics and reading standardized test scores of elementary school children. It was anticipated that test scores would increase modestly with the introduction of the ILS, particularly in mathematics. The sample consisted of four…

This study explores the relationship between mathematics and English achievement and mathematics and verbal self-concept and investigates whether these relationships are invariant with respect to student ability and gender. Data from 16,033 10th grade students who completed both the base and the first follow-up student questionnaire of the…

The 1995-1996 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most comprehensive international study ever conducted. Students from 41 nations were tested in 30 languages at three educational levels to compare their achievement in mathematics and science. Over 33,000 students and 500 schools were included in this study…

Gender differences of gifted and talented students in mathematics performance were examined using the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) of 1995. The LEAP test is a statewide criterion-referenced test administered to all Louisiana public school children in Grades 3, 5, 7, 10, and 11. In this study, the database was restricted to…

There is a myth in the African American community that only a few students are bright enough to effectively learn quantitative skills, and many African American students attend college with the assumption that they are not good at mathematics and as a result cannot choose majors that require the mastery of quantitative skills. African American…

This study describes the emerging mathematical understanding of one student enrolled in an elementary mathematics content course. Through the medium of her journal entries, a portrait of Elena's struggle to overcome her difficulty with mathematics and construct conceptual knowledge emerges. Though these struggles are not unique, Elena's story is…

There is widespread agreement that theories of teaching, learning, and assessment should be consistent with a certain theory of learning, whether it be constructivism or some other theory. This paper describes the creation and development of the working draft of the assessment standards for school mathematics published by the National Council of…

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken between 1977 and 1988 to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of high school seniors planning to major in math, science, or engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning to major in other fields. Results…

To test the theory of mental calibration for mental addition it was hypothesized that the mean reaction time for problems in homogeneous sets will be faster than for problems in heterogeneous sets and that the reaction time was inversely related to ability and development (grade level) and independent of gender. Three sets of 40 addition problems…

In 1991 the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) released a report interpreting the achievement of U.S. students in mathematics on the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress in terms of a set of performance standards. The NAGB had been designing and implementing an approach to defining basic, proficient, and advanced levels of…

This paper describes fourth-year outcomes (1993-94) of the Boeing Company-funded Applied Academics Project. Since the 1990-91 school year, the company has provided funds to improve and expand applied academics in 60 Washington high schools. Data were collected from pre- and post-surveys of students enrolled in the project's Applied Mathematics…

President Clinton, like President Bush before him, has challenged the nation's schools to participate in a rigorous national test of each student's reading skills at grade 4 and mathematics skills at grade 8. Tests would be voluntary and administered by private testing companies. They would allow parents to judge the adequacy of their child's…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) continuously monitors the knowledge, skills, and performance of the nation's children and youth in a variety of academic subjects. Data from the NAEP 1996 Long-Term Mathematics Assessment show a positive linear trend for all three age groups since the first assessment in 1973, indicating…

For several years, concerns have been growing about the mathematics achievement of California's K-12 students. In September 1995, the California Mathematics Task Force issued a report entitled "A Call to Action: Improving Mathematics Achievement for All California Students". The Task Force also provided specific recommendations for the…