Argues that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and its corporate sponsors discriminate against black students because the awards are based primarily on standardized test scores and that the separate program for African American students stigmatizes and insults them in a program that recalls the era of separate but equal. (SLD)

Evidence from test results of 3,604 sixth and seventh graders is provided for the generalizability and validity of the Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying Student Achievement and Reasoning (QUASAR) Cognitive Assessment Instrument, which is designed to measure program outcomes and growth in mathematics. (SLD)

The very mixed results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study are difficult for most U.S. students and teachers to believe. Educators must change their beliefs about how children learn mathematics and how these subjects should be taught. Agreement about what constitutes effective teaching is needed. (Contains 24 references.) (MLH)

Describes mathematics and science instruction in the Czech Republic and results from the performance assessment of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Czech performance on the written test was excellent, but performance assessment results show the low priority given hands-on tasks and performance assessment in the Czech…

Discusses the fairness of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) internationally and considers the results for Australia in more detail, focusing on samples of 516 and 583 students. For Australian students, there is some evidence that the TIMSS performance assessment is less prone to equity problems than the main assessment.…

In November 2000, wild Atlantic salmon were placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Washington Academy (WA) in Maine has played an integral role in the education and restoration of this species. Efforts to restore the salmon's dwindling population, enhance critical habitat areas, and educate and inform the public require…

Evaluations of prison-based drug treatment programs typically focus on one or two dichotomous outcome variables related to recidivism. In contrast, this paper uses multiple measures of outcomes related to crime and drug use to examine the impact of prison treatment. Crime variables included self-report data of time to first illegal activity,…

Assessments are not ends in themselves as Suskie (2002) noted. Their purpose is to indicate how effectively educational programs are meeting their goals for student learning. This paper reviews assessment data from the North Carolina Vocational Competency Achievement Tracking System (VoCATS) for business and marketing education to examine student…

The results of standardized tests are misused and often do more harm than good, according to William W. Cooley, professor and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The results seldom assist anyone in improving instruction. Too many out-of-school variables such as social-economic status influence test scores. Achievement is…

News media reports about Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and trends have drawn or suggested conclusions about the quality of schools, teachers, and colleges that are neither supported by evidence from the test itself nor consistent with its nature and purpose. (MSE)

Outlines a plan to provide professional, graduate-level courses to adult students off-campus. Based on experiences at the British Open University, audiocassettes and printed support materials were used at Brigham Young University as the delivery system for a management course. The examination scores of on-campus and off-campus students are…

Changes in intelligence among Swedish 13-year-olds during a 20-year period was studied. Results show: (1) the average of spatial and reasoning intelligence has risen; (2) verbal intelligence increased during the 1960s, but declined thereafter; and (3) by the 1980s girls surpassed in verbal ability and equalled in spatial ability. (Author/LMO)

Beginning teachers in Florida were surveyed as to the weight they assigned to the results of teacher-made tests, district-wide standardized tests, and statewide minimum competency assessment tests in making major educational decisions. The results suggested that greatest weight was placed on the statewide assessment tests. (Author/GDC)

The purpose of this article is to comment on practice in the use of existing data bases in program evaluation and school improvement and to explore directions for increased and improved use. (BW)

Reports the findings of a survey of Oregon principals who had recently hired vocational agriculture teachers. Principals rated the importance of 23 criteria dealing with personal and professional preparation for teaching. Attitudes, recommendations, experience, and appearance were among the highest ranked criteria used for selecting a teacher.…