This study used evidence from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics and the 1998 NAEP main assessments in reading and writing to examine patterns of computer use and academic achievement in each of these three academic domains. It is concluded that the design of the NAEP data collection precludes using such…

This paper argues that discussions of diversity often avoid the issue of race. Further, it maintains that diversity and structural backlashes to it in the United States in social and economic life shape and are shaped by crises in mathematics education. Attention is paid to the lack of instructional diversity in mathematical problem types and to…

One theme of current research about higher education students of mathematics concerns those who fail. At our institution, some of the entrants are students who have previously failed in mathematics; others come to us with a comparatively weak mathematical background. Most of these students go on to become confident and effective mathematicians,…

Despite mathematicians valuing the ability to visualize a problem and psychologists finding positive correlations of visual-spatial ability with success in mathematics, many educationists remain unconvinced about the benefits of visualization for mathematical understanding. This paper describes research that compared a "visual" to a "verbal"…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the NDSA assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The study estimated the changes in reading and mathematics RIT score equivalents for the NDSA performance levels in those subjects. Test records for more than 9,000…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the WASL assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The study estimated the changes in reading and mathematics RIT score equivalents for the WASL performance levels in those subjects. Test records for more than 12,000…

Changes in high school grading standards were evaluated, focusing on mathematics because only in mathematics was it possible to adjust grades to take into account tested achievement. Data are from nationally representative surveys, the High School and Beyond Study, and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Descriptive analyses were…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a survey of American students' knowledge and skills in different subjects at grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP combines the samples of performances to provide information about the knowledge and skills of students in the nation as a whole, in each participating state, and in different demographic…

Over the past 30 years the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has conducted three international studies of mathematics at the 13-year-old level. In the three studies, in addition to mathematics achievement tests, students were required to respond to an attitude questionnaire concerning their attitudes…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other U.S. Department of Education programs are already available to support mathematics instruction and yet these resources, particularly those of Title I, the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary schools, remain largely untapped for standards-based mathematics education.…

This paper studies successful African American students' perception of their mathematics education, mathematics knowledge, and their interaction with peers. Two female and four male participants attending the same southern four-year university completed courses in calculus 1, 2, and 3. Data was gathered using interviews, surveys, exemplary teacher…

This study involved over 4,000 third grade students in a large (90,000+) suburban-emerging-urban school district. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of curriculum alignment on student achievement in mathematics as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (IOWA) after one year of implementation in the DeKalb County School…

While gender differences in mathematics achievement and attitudes overall have been declining during the past two decades, there still exists a disparity in advanced mathematics achievement and upper-level mathematics course-taking patterns that contributes to fewer females than males choosing professions in math, science, and technology fields.…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) offers a unique opportunity to examine some of the issues related to gender differences in mathematics achievement in an international context. TIMSS report of 8th grade mathematics achievement revealed few significant differences in mean achievement by gender; differences that did…

This book offers in-depth information resulting from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Launched in 1995, the TIMSS examines elementary and secondary mathematics and science achievement in 40 countries. The book explains that curriculum has a profound effect on student achievement and plays a crucial role in providing…