This article describes a longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative cohort of over 80,000 pupils in England who completed both national end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) at age 11 in 1997, national end of Key Stage 3 (KS3) tests at age 14 in summer 2000 and General Certificate of Secondary Education…

It is claimed that curriculum-based external exit examination systems (CBEEES) based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of core subjects. Skeptics point out that Americans already take lots of tests, but advocates claim that CBEEES have uniquely powerful incentives because of characteristics that include their real…

The article examines the three proposals put forward by the Schools Council for Curriculum and Examinations to change the examination structure for school leavers in Great Britain: the 16-plus examination, the Certificate of Extended Education, and the 18-plus examination. (MW)

Canadian students on the verge of completing their secondary education were tested to determine their proficiency in solving consumer-related mathematics problems that might be frequently encountered in their post-secondary everyday life. Their proficiency was rated as very good in basic computation and use of tables; satisfactory in comparison…

Examines some problems found in the student testing program for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in England and Wales. Investigates these problems in light of art education. Concludes that the planning and implementation of appropriate syllabi and the application of effective assessment criteria and techniques will be…

Marking is described as part of the central examinations for secondary general education in the Netherlands. These consist of two components: an external, and an internal school-based examination. Pedadogical implications of general school assessment practice, plus recent trends, are discussed. (BS)

Examines characteristics of Scottish parents who exercised choice two years after the British government's 1980 school choice legislation became operational. Parents exercising choice were more highly educated and had more prestigious occupations than nonchoosing parents. Choosers selected schools with higher mean socioeconomic status and higher…

This article is a detailed response to the issues raised by the Post-14 Mathematics Inquiry in the UK. It aims to debate some of the central issues in mathematics teaching in the UK, including recruitment and retention of mathematics teachers, the curriculum content, national assessment, teaching resources (including ICT) and national strategies…

The validity of TOEIC Bridge™ scores as a measure of English language skill was examined from the standpoint of a unified concept of test validity. In this study, more than 6,000 test takers in 3 Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador) took 1 form of the TOEIC Bridge test, and their scores were compared to additional information…

A product of the United Kingdom's Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience (PACE) project, this report presents interview, observation, and survey findings concerning primary school teachers' attitudes toward and experiences of the Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs). In 1991, students were observed taking SATs at nine schools. Afterwards,…

The paper explains the role of the Schools Council for the Curriculum and Examinations and how it functions in relation to the education system, discusses areas of reform, and presents a brief review of the Schools Councils proposals for a new examination structure. (MW)

Because of student characteristics in the middle years, several types of assessment are needed. The national monitoring system being developed by the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) may prove a useful assessment framework for individual schools, providing developmental data for program comparisons and student movement between schools. (SJL)

This report provides key findings from the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The report focuses on the performance of U.S. 15-year-olds in the two major areas assessed in 2003, mathematics literacy and problem solving, compared to their peers in 38 other countries. Information about achievement in reading literacy and…

It is now seen as an economic and political necessity for countries to produce higher levels of performance across the spectrum of ability of all their students. This paper describes one example of the influence of political conditions on the process of developing assessment instruments and on measuring standards. In England, the trend is toward…

This study used data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to determine trends in calculator use among Population 2 (13-year-olds) students in Japan, the United States, and Portugal. While relatively high levels of calculator use were observed for the U.S. and Portugal, virtually no calculator use was found in the…