The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various academic subjects. The 1996 NAEP in mathematics assessed the current level of mathematical achievement as a mechanism for informing education reform. In 1996, 44…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables on CD-ROM present mathematics and science results from the NAEP 1996 State Assessments. Mathematics results from 1990 and 1992 assessments are also provided for the nation and for states that participated in either or both of the assessments. The student, teacher, and…

Evaluations of the "Long-Range Magnet School Plan" court-ordered desegregation program occur in 3 year cycles. This report evaluates the programs of three Science and Mathematics Magnet Middle Schools in operation in Kansas City, Missouri. After presenting a program description and evaluation design, enrollment and achievement trends at…

Whether or not working with more realistic and lengthier problems during instruction would make students better able to solve similar problems on achievement tests was studied for 82 seventh graders (50 in the experimental condition and 32 in the control condition) in general mathematics classes at an urban middle school. The study also…

This report presents the basic and advanced skill averages for students participating in Chapter 1 programs of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in Nevada in the 1989-90 school year. The report averages are based on a post-test measure only as most Nevada school districts are in the midst of changing instruments to determine student…

Three schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, School District have operated for 5 years as Investigative Learning Magnet Schools (ILMS). The ILMS emphasize such student outcomes as inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, and observation skills, and have a curricular focus on science, math, and computer skills. This report examines the ILMS'…

This study investigated the effects of Oregon's Lane County "Problem Solving in Mathematics" (PSM) materials on middle-school students' attitudes, beliefs, and abilities in problem solving and mathematics. The instructional approach advocated in PSM includes: the direct teaching of five problem-solving skills, weekly challenge problems,…

International comparisons show that U.S. students perform well in reading, less well in science, and more poorly still in mathematics. Researchers have found that several factors in combination appear responsible for the complex pattern of achievement, and no quick fix appears available for problem areas. Research suggests that it is quality and…

In this paper, performance assessments are cast within a sampling framework. A performance assessment score is viewed as a sample of student performance drawn from a complex universe defined by a combination of all possible tasks, occasions, raters, and measurement methods. Using generalizability theory, the authors present evidence bearing on the…

The purpose of this project was to develop and field test supplementary mathematics curriculum materials that could be used in a typical school setting to introduce elementary school children to calculators and computers in the process of solving everyday mathematical problems. The materials were designed to help teachers: (1) familiarize children…

This report describes and presents the 1984-85 results of the norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing programs used in the Los Angeles Unified School District (California) to evaluate student progress and to identify instructional areas needing remediation. The norm-referenced Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS), Form U, is used to…

This book is intended for everyone in California concerned about how well students are prepared for college. It describes the competencies in mathematics necessary for success in college and university work. This statement discusses the following: (1) an emphasis on encouraging students to experience the beauty and fascination of mathematics; (2)…

This issue of the journal contains abstracts and critical comments for ten published reports of research in mathematics education. The reports concern teaching probability and estimation of measurements through microcomputer games, mental addition, use of calculators at the intermediate level, logical reasoning hierarchies, two approaches to the…

A great number of students, and a particularly high proportion of females, do not study mathematics beyond minimum high school requirements. Research indicates that segregation of mathematics classes may help reduce the incidence of female students dropping out of that subject. In an attempt to redress this situation, A. Y. Jackson Secondary…

The stability of Rasch test item difficulty parameters was investigated under varying conditions. Data were taken from a mathematics achievement test administered to over 2,000 Australian students. The experiments included: (1) relative stability of the Rasch, traditional, and z-item difficulty parameters using different sample sizes and designs;…