The main objective of this study was to show whether eighth graders' performance on standardized mathematics tests could be predicted from a variety of variables. These predictors included the students' race/ethnicity, gender, attitudes toward mathematics, students' time spent on homework, whether parents helped with homework assignments,…

The paper reports on the Montana Education Stakeholders Conference for National Board Certification (Helena, Montana, May 5, 1995), which met to discuss the impact of National Board Certification on Montana education. The content of the meeting is outlined, including summaries of presentations on the National Board for Professional Teaching…

Interest in assessment of young children increased after readiness testing abuses in the 1980s. The pressure of demonstrating educational accountability through children's standardized test performance increased the use of skills-driven curricula. It also created an inappropriate learning environment in which readiness tests were used to remove…

In spring 1996, Arizona's Glendale Community College (GCC) undertook an evaluation of an introductory macroeconomics course using the national Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE III). Specifically, the study sought to determine how GCC student outcomes compared to national results on the TUCE III and if the college's macroeconomics…

In spring 1996, Arizona's Glendale Community College (GCC) undertook an evaluation of a microeconomics course using the national Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE III). Specifically, the study sought to determine how GCC student outcomes compared to national results on the TUCE III and if the microeconomics course made a statistical…

In New Zealand, single-sex public schools are held in greater esteem by the community. Because single-sex public schools are more popular than coeducational public schools, the single-sex schools in larger population areas have selective admission policies to screen the large number of applicants. This paper argues that single-sex schools end up…

The report describes one segment of the Federal Language Testing Board's Unified Language Testing Plan (ULTP), the validation of the speaking proficiency test in Russian. The ULTP is a project to increase standardization of foreign language proficiency measurement and promote sharing of resources among testing programs in the federal government.…

This study was designed to investigate the extent to which grade inflation has existed at Brigham Young University (BYU) after accounting for increased preparation levels of entering students over time. Analyses were conducted for the university at large and individual colleges. The study first developed a model to forecast student grade point…

A study was conducted to identify factors affecting student performance on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), a state-mandated measure designed to assess students' basic skills and competencies. TASP and Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) scores were analyzed for 328 academic track students from 6 community colleges in…

This study examined factors contributing to under- and over-achievement in first-year college students at York University in Ontario (Canada). The difference between predicted and actual first-year grades of a sample of 1,229 students entering York University in 1994 was examined on the basis of information obtained from administrative records, a…

This study compared math and reading achievement in the fifth grades of two suburban elementary schools, one which utilized a traditional approach of pull-out special education classrooms and the other which utilized an inclusion program for special education services. The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was used to measure the math…

This paper is concerned with typical changes in scores on the American College Testing Program Assessment (ACT) between students' first and second testing. Analyses were based on data from a sample of students who tested twice between 1989 and 1992. Scores of twice-tested females, males, blacks, whites, and students who were tested on particular…

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare attitudes that male and female preservice elementary science methods teachers have toward science and science teaching. The stratified random sample (n=80) was drawn from the population of preservice elementary teachers enrolled in an elementary science methods course during fall 1990,…

In today's schools, the pervasiveness of assessment has often distorted teaching and learning through testing, examining, and short-term memorizing. Learning to cope with examinations has become almost as important as the learning itself. This report is the third in a series of publications derived from the Centre for Educational Research and…

This resource book assists in selecting appropriate instruments to use in assessing preschool children suspected of having disabilities. For each of the 68 tests reviewed, the following information is provided: author, publisher, copyright date, price, purpose, description, range of children, testing time, scoring, examiner, standardization,…