Background information is provided about the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading test, a test developed to meet the objectives specified by the State Board of Education in 1986. The revised test measures reading in a more interactive manner than did previous tests. The rationale of the test is presented, the revised reading…

Current research suggests that the difference in mathematics achievement between males and females in and beyond the junior high school grades is a direct consequence of the decision by many girls not to take advanced mathematics courses during high school. The first section of this paper indicates at least three factors influence this decision:…

To determine the accuracy with which the 47-item Predictive Screening Test of Articulation (PSTA) is able to identify first grade children who will master their articulation errors without speech therapy by the time they enter third grade, two groups of children were studied who were deficient enough in speech to be enrolled in therapy, but had no…

This study investigated the interaction between teacher background and student variables such as test scores, level of classroom activity and attention, race and socioeconomic class in determining teacher expectancies of reading abilities of first grade children. Participants were 48 female teachers from the South: 24 white and 24 black. The…

Bilingual education programs for Mexican-American preschool and elementary grade pupils almost invariably include instruction in English as a second language (ESL). While usual ESL programs for young Spanish-speaking children emphasize pronunciation drill (minimal-pair drills: pit-bit, choose-shoes), an alternative approach deemphasizes…

Annually in May and June, grade 3, 6, and 9 students in Alberta (Canada) take provincial achievement tests. This guide, in both English and French versions, explains the achievement tests. The tests are designed to indicate how well students meet the province's standards, to support teachers in planning instruction, and to inform the public about…

Although minority students have experienced substantial increases in science performance on standardized tests, there is still a large disparity between minority and majority students on science achievement tests for males and females. This study examined science achievement for similarities and differences by gender and race/ethnicity. Using the…

Examines students' (25 low achieving fourth graders) understanding of conceptual features of decimals. Assessment results indicated that students' thinking was influenced by the types of concrete materials used to represent decimals; that low achievers' understanding of some important properties of decimals increased; and that understanding grew…

Elementary school students (n=11) were pretested and then given daily formal instruction for 2 weeks in use of past tense and plural noun forms and then posttested. A significant difference was found between these students and control group in detection and correction of noun plural forms, but not in similar test of past tense forms. (49…

Eighty-five fourth- and eighth-grade learning disabled students whose individualized education plans specified untimed achievement testing were tested with the Reading Comprehension subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, either according to the publisher's 40-minute time limit or with an extended time limit of 2 hours, 30 minutes. Results were…

As part of a continuing evaluation of the Swedish school system, changes in intelligence test scores from 1960 to 1995 were studied in relation to cohort, gender, and socioeconomic background. Changes in verbal, spatial, and reasoning ability were studied by comparing results on identical tests given to representative samples of Swedish…

The North Carolina Open-Ended Assessment for grades 5 and 8 emphasizes higher-level thinking skills. Test items commonly require the integration of knowledge and skills from more than one curricular area. Beginning in 1996-97, the North Carolina Open-Ended Assessment was administered to students in grades 5 and 8 for the second time. Because it is…

The differential effects of language proficiency on standardized test performance of elementary school students (grades 4 through 6 are examined for the San Diego (California) Unified School District. Ethnicity is examined as a mediating variable circumscribing the relationship between language proficiency and test performance. Test performance is…

This paper is the second report on the purpose, methodology, and results of a large-scale statistical analysis of standardized test scores from Chicago public elementary schools for 1988 and 1989. Major purposes were to develop methods for measuring student improvement (change) at the individual and school levels, to find ways of identifying…

National standardization data were used to reexamine the evidence of gender differences in achievement test scores reported in previous studies. Changes in differences over time, from 1963 to 1992, were examined, as were differences across all grade and achievement levels. Subjects participated in Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Iowa Tests of…