Pressures to help students pass high-stakes tests affect teachers' reading instruction, their responsiveness to students' learning needs, and their professional effectiveness. This article reports on how one reading specialist responded to testing pressures in her urban elementary school. She believed that what was "right" for her…

This article argues that the validity of standardized achievement test-score interpretation and use is problematic; consequently, confidence and trust in such test scores may often be unwarranted. The problem is particularly severe in high-stakes situations. This essay provides a context for understanding standardized achievement testing, then…

In this article, research conducted in the United States since 1987 on the effects of homework is summarized. Studies are grouped into four research designs. The authors found that all studies, regardless of type, had design flaws. However, both within and across design types, there was generally consistent evidence for a positive influence of…

In the present study, we examined the reading activities of young readers, while reading an expository text. A total of 24 third-graders was administered a think-aloud task on two occasions. Their protocols were analysed by a coding system that captured two levels of the reading process: the word identification level and the reading comprehension…

Brewer Elementary is facing problems with their students' achievement in literacy and mathematics. Teachers are consistently struggling with students underperforming on state standardized tests over several years, reflecting national trends that show students of color often struggle when compared with white students (Testing: Index of Diversity,…

Gender differences in mathematics proficiency have received considerable attention. This study explored some potential gender differences in mathematics achievement using data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study. Obvious gender differences in mathematics proficiency did not seem to exist when comparisons were made on central…

In July 1994, College of the Canyons (COC) in California conducted several predictive validity studies of the College Board Assessment and Placement Services (APS) Reading Test. COC began using the 35-question objective format test in spring 1993. Fall 1993 test scores were used in determining the ability of the APS Reading Test to predict student…

A study investigated the relationships among trait argumentativeness (one's disposition to either approach or avoid an argument), argumentative flexibility (one's disposition to argue in either a flexible or collaborative manner, or an inflexible manner), and self-reported perception of critical thinking dispositions and their impact on critical…

A framework for categorizing constructed-response items was developed in which items were ordered on a continuum from multiple-choice to presentation/performance according to the degree of constraint placed on the examinee's response. Two investigations were carried out to evaluate the validity of this framework. In the first investigation, 27…

Response accuracy and response speed provide separate measures of performance. Psychometricians have tended to focus on accuracy with the goal of characterizing examinees on the basis of their ability to respond correctly to items from a given content domain. With the advent of computerized testing, response times can now be recorded unobtrusively…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provides comparative assessments of student outcomes, instructional practices, curricula, and cultural contexts. The state of Minnesota participated in the study as a 'mini nation' and this document is a preliminary report of the results. This summary provides a picture 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…

Based on the idea that knowing which words to use and how to use them are keys to an individual's getting the most from his or her mind, this book aims to improve people's vocabularies. To find out which words should be known, research into the vocabularies of educated adults was conducted by "The Princeton Review." Newspapers from…

This paper reviews the assessment process as it exists today in the New York City Adult Literacy Initiative (NYCALI), and explores a few changes in direction and in practice currently underway. It highlights the national context of concern surrounding literacy assessment, and summarizes the debate over standardized testing and other forms of…

Educators are expressing the pros and cons of portfolio programs and their assessment. Teachers should be among the policy makers, and teacher-training institutions should bear their share of preparing teachers in all aspects of portfolio programs, including testing. Decade after decade, in both elementary and secondary education, students'…