Data on some aspects of the deductive logical competence of nongraduate teachers in the English-speaking Caribbean, primarily Jamaica, are reported in this document. The teachers sampled were those who sat for entrance examinations for the University of the West Indies (Mona) Faculty of Education Bachelor of Education and Certificate of Education…

Four problems related to how to best use testing and assessment to improve learning are discussed: (1) criterion- versus norm-referenced scores; (2) scaling; (3) communication and reporting of achievement; and (4) external versus school-based assessment. Comparisons of current practices in different countries, described in subsequent articles, are…

An important aspect of Ontario's participation in the Second International Study of Mathematics was a comparative analysis of students' mathematics achievement from 1968 to 1982. Achievement levels remained remarkably constant. The problem of declining achievement in the United States was not apparent in this analysis of Ontario students. (LMO)

The purpose of this study was to examine the multivariate relationship of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the First Certificate of English (FCE), administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, and to determine whether students' total score on the TOEFL or their overall score on the FCE tends to be a…

This book reports teaching practices in mathematics in seven countries from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 video study. A detailed description of the methods in the mathematics portion of the study is presented in an accompanying technical report from an international perspective. Contexts of the lessons, the…

Discusses the relevance for the valid testing of reading of the difference between a 'unitary skill' approach to reading and a multiskills approach. The article produces evidence suggesting that a distinction may be drawn between language-based skills and 'global' reading skills. (55 references) (Author/CK)

Explores the relationship between pupil attainments on British National Curriculum Tests at the end of Key Stage 2, teacher assessments, and several pupil characteristics, such as gender and age) using representative samples drawn from schools in England from 1996-1998. Finds levels of agreement between teacher assessments and test results…

Singapore students scored highest on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Any nation that "outsources" its poverty (Malaysian street sweepers) and its low-achievers (who study in Malaysia) can get high test scores. U.S./Japan score differences stem from Japan's effective teaching practices. Among 13 occupations in the…

The valid interpretation of international testing program results in mathematics and science must recognize inherent limitations to international comparisons, and should give opportunity-to-learn as much importance as achievement data. Canadian test results, looked at in this light, appear better than some critics have suggested. (Author/SLD)

Describes how a measure of problem difficulty (problem complexity) can be developed. Explores factors that may affect the difficulty of mathematics problems by focusing on ninth-grade student test responses (n=125), mathematics teacher questionnaire responses (n=29) in Hong Kong (China), and using a computer. Identifies four problem difficulty…

Compares student attitudes toward oral or written tests and the relationship of attitude to performance of 170 students enrolled in the advanced reading course of English as a foreign language at Haifa University (Israel). Students preferred written over oral tests. No meaningful relationship was observed between students' attitudes and test…

Effects of university accounting education on candidate pass rates for the Uniform Final Examination (UFE) of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants were studied for 633 recent graduates. Candidates had clear indications from their undergraduate grade point average of their chances of success on the UFE. (SLD)

The scores on cognitive tests and school examinations of approximately 110 Kenyan children aged 6-9 years were analyzed, and a model was formulated. Certain measures of biological development and grade level are important predictors of scores on higher order cognitive tests. Household socioeconomic status is also positively associated with…

Describes the design of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and results for Dutch students in grade 8. Presents these results in an international perspective and discusses differences between the results of these Dutch students on the written test (far above the international mean) and in the performance assessment (close…

Results of the fall 1993 administration of part two of the Medical Council of Canada's Evaluating Examination for 744 candidates provided evidence of the consistency of the pass/fail and cutting score definitions for the objective- structured clinical examination stations used across examiners. These results support the validity of this…