Examines trends in science testing and discusses its impact on science instruction. Presents data on each state's assessment program in science for grades K-8. Identifies the type of test, grade tested, the scope and frequency, and the contact person for each of the 50 states. (ML)

The authors discuss the following questions: Who should run a GED (General Educational Development) program? How should the program be administered? How can schools best prepare their students to take the GED tests? (CT)

Provides information on the American Chemical Society's (ACS) 1986 testing program, listing currently available tests (includes five new tests). Also provides condensed norms for ACS examinations, including high school chemistry forms 1985 and 1985-S, general-organic-biological chemistry form 1985, general chemistry (brief version) form 1985-B,…

Science assessments done in British Columbia in 1978 and 1982 analyzed students' weaknesses and teachers' perceived needs. Appropriate inservice programs were identified. Conforming to other findings, the teachers wanted to be involved in initiating, planning, and conducting the programs, e.g., informal meetings or workshops with other teachers…

Explores parallels between understanding of chemistry for younger teenagers with the learning of a language by younger children. Also discusses: (1) teacher perspective and the development of core science; (2) religion and science; and (3) the physics examinations of the Department of Science and Art. (JN)

Investigated the validity of the assumption that arranging items in objective tests in order of increasing difficulty increases student motivation and produces more reliable tests. Results indicate that test reliability was largely independent of item sequence. (Author/JN)

Describes a test writing program for a 48K memory Apple microcomputer with lower-case capability. The program permits the production of any number of different tests and also different forms of the same multiple-choice or essay test. (JN)

Indicates that the language in which a multiple-choice question is couched may be a significant factor in student performance. Effects of changing key words, terms of quantity, negative to positive forms, and from passive to active voice are discussed. Also discusses the effect of rewording long or complex questions. (JN)

This study explored some aspects of reasoning needed to complete science performance assessments, i.e., students' hands-on investigations scored for the scientific justifiability of the findings. The reasoning demands of science performance assessments were studied focusing on three dimensions identified from a previous analysis of data from the…

This study examined the role of affect and conation in high school students science test performance, using a sample of 491 students. It provides a profile of partial corrections of standardized multiple-choice and constructed response test scores with affect and conation scores (after accounting for general ability and student background) at…

This document reports on the performance of Scottish primary students in mathematics and science. Students scored below the international average in mathematics and are ranked in the lower half of the range of countries involved in the study. In science, students scored above the international average and are ranked in the middle. Sections…

A recently completed landmark study of mathematics and science education in more than 40 countries gathered information that can help address questions as to why students in one country do better in math and science than students in another. This report focuses on the results of the primary school science test of students in 26 countries, from the…

An important component of the Bridging study involves the collection of achievement data using sets of derived test items from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), as well as new items which reflect state and national standards in science. From these test data, student achievement measures are computed, then these measures are…

This booklet summarizes the findings of the survey of science attainment carried out in 1993 by a team of researchers at Jordanhill Campus, Strathclyde University. The assessment tasks were used with a sample of pupils, selected to be representative of all pupils in Scotland, at three stages--primary 4, primary 7, and secondary 2. The report…

With the administration of the 2002 Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP), a questionnaire was given to students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 about Opportunity to Learn, Reading, Writing, and Mathematics, and to all students in grades 4, 6, 8, and 11 about Opportunity to Learn, Science, and Social Studies. Students responses to the questions were…