Examines the organization of the extended project that is part of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) A Level Business Studies examination. Provides a timetable for implementing the project. Includes student evaluations of the project. (LS)

The impact of different elementary school curricula (grades three and six) on standardized achievement test scores at item and objective levels, and differences across curricula in generation of item factor loadings were studied. Specific and generally small differences in textbooks within a district were not significant. (TJH)

The average scores of high-school students on the verbal section of the SAT fell slightly while students from minority groups continue to show improvement. Tables show SAT averages by sex, race, and ethnic group and ACT scores by sex, race and academic preparation. (MLW)

Five essays among those judged to be excellent in the 1995 Advanced Placement Examinations are presented. Each is a timed essay, and for each, the test question and time limit are given. Subject areas include art history, psychology, comparative government and politics, and English literature and composition. (MSE)

A study analyzed scores on placement tests and academic performance of over 1,800 first-year students at an urban public university. Results indicate that basic skills placement tests measured academic preparation more accurately than the American College Testing program and that standardized and local tests showed only moderate reliability,…

Despite a rise in enrollments at women's colleges nationwide, there is concern that the applicant pool is weakening. Average college entrance test scores of freshmen have dropped considerably since 1968. Some see research comparing women's performance at single-sex and coeducational colleges as unreliable. (MSE)

A study investigated performance of 51 second-year internal medicine residents on an objective structured clinical examination and analyzed the test's role in evaluating clinical competence. The examination included nine physical diagnoses and several test-interpretation stations. Performance was analyzed statistically and correlated with…

Parental attitudes about standardized tests and performance assessments were studied through interviews with 60 parents or parent dyads in schools involved in a project to develop new assessments and through questionnaires completed by parents from control schools. Parent approval of standardized tests did not imply disapproval of performance…

Discusses characteristics and trends of home schools and workplaces. Use of computers and computer applications (CD-ROMS, interactive software, and networking) in home schooling provides a compatible environment for future home-based businesses and telecommuting trends. Sidebars include information on home schools on line; standardized test…

Described are important changes that will be introduced in the mathematics sections of the new Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The three main changes are (1) permission to use calculators; (2) inclusion of open-ended questions; and (3) content revisions consistent with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Curriculum and Evaluation…

The number of high school students scoring 600 or more on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test has dropped by 35 percent since 1972. The influence of television, changes in the makeup of the college-bound student population, and eroding standards in secondary schools are being blamed. (MSE)

The impact of a modified wilderness program on the cooperative and aggressive behaviors of seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents was evaluated in the context of self-efficacy theory. Results indicated that participating adolescents showed a significant increase in cooperative behaviors and that direct observation procedures were more…

The process used in Ohio to reform the state dental licensing examination and incorporate a nonpatient (simulated) clinical procedure is described and the results summarized. Findings focus on the degree to which results of the new testing procedures differentiate dental students by class rank. (MSE)

Reviews the literature on (1) the nature of intelligence; (2) controversy over the use of standardized intelligence tests with cultural minority groups; (3) arguments surrounding intelligence testing of Canadian Native students; (4) language barriers in standardized intelligence testing; and (5) the effects of self-concept and parent educational…

Explores whether scale economies in a single statewide, nonproperty-tax-supported district differ from studies in more traditional settings. The sample consisted of 179 randomly selected Hawaiian elementary and middle schools enrolling sixth-grade students. Stanford Achievement Test scores for grades three and six were used. Smaller schools had…