In this research, teachers' orientations in curriculum theories were identified via an assessment tool which was grounded by Marsh and Willis (2003) where curriculum theorists were classified. "The Inventory of Orientations in Curriculum Theories" was developed to identify the teachers' orientations in curriculum theories in this…

Among the variety of selected response formats used in L2 reading assessment, multiple-choice (MC) is the most commonly adopted, primarily due to its efficiency and objectiveness. Given the impact of assessment results on teaching and learning, it is necessary to investigate the degree to which the MC format reliably measures learners' L2 reading…

This chapter describes research findings that show a positive relationship between higher order examination questions and core concepts of empirically supported theories of college student persistence for both residential and commuter colleges and universities.

"Data-drive instruction can distort the way reading is taught, harming the students who need high-quality instruction the most," Susan B. Neuman concludes from her research team's two years of observation in nine low-income New York City schools. She describes how some students are reminded that they are "failures" every day by…

The international comparative studies in 1959 were conducted by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) researchers who recognized that differences in student achievement measures in mathematics across countries could be caused by differences in curricula. The measurements of opportunity to learn (OTL) grew…

This book is intended to offer college faculty members the insights of the development of reasoning movement that enlighten physics educators in the late 1970s and led to a variety of college programs directed at improving the reasoning patterns used by college students. While the original materials were directed at physics concepts, they quickly…

To determine the extent to which knowledge of evidence-based reading instruction and mathematics is assessed on licensure tests for prospective special education teachers, this study drew on information provided by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and National Evaluation Systems (now…

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the Western Australian Calculus Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) papers for 1996-99, two years before and two years after the introduction of graphics calculators on the examination. Changes in the questions that asked students to graph rational functions and students' answers to the corresponding…

Item-level statistics from ability and achievement tests have been underutilized as sources of data for building models of cognitive development. How item data can be used to build a cognitive-developmental map of proportional reasoning is demonstrated. The product of the analysis is a cognitive hierarchy with levels corresponding to categories of…

The paper documents experiments designed to compare essay and multiple-choice tests as means of testing science learning. Results indicate it is easier to score high on multiple-choice tests; some students substitute quantity on essay tests; and essay tests reveal weaknesses hidden by multiple-choice tests. (RE)

Examines traditional psychometric approaches to measuring intelligence and recent work by cognitive psychologists to develop a rationale for a non-verbal reasoning test for 10- to 11-year-olds. Recent studies providing basis for analyzing structure of test items are outlined, and benefits of analyzing items at a sub-type level are discussed.…

The state of Illinois recently has required state goals for learning to be identified and assessed in the following areas of learning: language arts, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and physical development and health. The Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) is designed to assess the progress made…

A plan is proposed for the revision of the National Teacher Examinations. The plan is based on measuring what is taught in teacher education curricula. Preservice pedagogical education consists of two types of studies: academic pedagogy and clinical pedagogy. Academic pedagogy consists of concepts and principles pertaining to the making of…

The first volume of the 29th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains plenary lecture and research forum papers as listed below. Short oral communications papers, poster presentations, brief summaries of discussion groups, and working sessions are also included in the volume. The plenary…