This study sought to establish the benefits of an analytic scoring procedure for assessing student performance in doing geometry proofs. Using the cognitive behavior theories of B. Bloom and the theories of J. G. Greeno about geometric knowledge, five criteria were established for assessing performance in proof. After a training session, 3 judges…

The differences between reading and mathematics achievement were studied for 10 high and 10 low socioeconomic status (SES) elementary schools in a midwest urban district. The schools representing the top and bottom quartiles from among 40 schools were classified as high or low SES schools by using a set of highly intercorrelated school level SES…

This paper describes a 2-year collaborative action research project in which the focus was to investigate the effects of the use of "Hands-On Equations" mathematics manipulatives in an algebra class on students' confidence, interest in, and ability to solve and retain understanding of algebraic equations. The first phase centered on documenting…

A major goal of instruction is for students to develop competence with numbers. This study attempts to determine the effect of instructional materials that develop number concepts and connect these concepts to mental computation procedures. The study used 16 classes of eighth-grade students and a pretest-posttest design with two treatment groups.…

Reports from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provide a starting point from which to examine U.S. student achievement in mathematics and science in an international context. This publication illustrates how the different types of information found in the international reports can provide a springboard for in-depth…

Consonant with the current concern for achievement of minority students, the two action research projects described in this paper use interviews and case studies of 10 African American high school students to address some issues related to motivation in the learning of mathematics, particularly as this motivation concerns aspects of the family…

This paper uses data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment to describe educational opportunities for students in eighth-grade mathematics in 1990. The first section of the paper summarizes the methodology used here and in the 1990 NAEP Trial State Assessment. The second section summarizes findings…

This study was conducted to assess the first year of full implementation of a teacher incentive program (TIP) in South Carolina. The study examines the relationship between student achievement and teacher participation in one of several incentive model programs. The research also explores award winning teachers and their association with higher…

In the State of Florida, the percentage of tenth grade students passing the Statewide Student Assessment Test-Part II (SSAT-II) Mathematics has declined one or two percentage points each year since 1985. Early, accurate identification and placement of these students for remedial instruction should help reverse this Florida trend. Accurate…

This study compared the academic math achievement of two homogeneous classes of gifted and talented sixth graders, with one group attending year-round school (N=22) and the other group following the traditional school calendar (N=26). Both groups were taught the same pre-algebra math program in the 1991-1992 school year, and data were gathered…

This study analyzed data to identify courses which have been associated with improved mathematics and quantitative reasoning ability among students who enter college with high verbal skills but low math skills. The study used the Coursework Cluster Analytic Model (CCAM) to analyze the course sequences of students with high verbal and low math…

Previous research has indicated that a student's attitude toward mathematics has a significant influence upon that student's level of mathematics achievement. Consequently, the promotion of positive student attitudes toward mathematics should be an important goal, not only for the educator, but also for the parents. The purpose of this study was…

For the third year, six Massachusetts communities incorporated computer assisted instruction (CAI) into their regular Title I programs, for students in grades 1 through 9. It was hoped that CAI would produce reading and mathematics gains over and above those which are characteristic of more conventional Title I instructional approaches. A pretest,…

This study examined rural/urban and sex differences in achievement in reading, language, and mathematics for 4918 students in grades 4, 7, and 10 from a midwestern province in Canada. Particular attention was given to subskill and sex differences in mathematics achievement. Each student was administered a mental ability test and an achievement…

The North Carolina End-of-Course Testing Program was established to provide student, school, and school system information about achievement in high school courses. This report describes: (1) "Characteristics of Algebra I Students"; (2) "Student Performance on the Core Test"; (3) "Combining Performance and Participation:…