Discusses the importance to science departments of processes used to track student performance and how assessment data are used. Adding value has two principal aspects. The first is quantitative, where gains in knowledge, skills, and understanding demonstrated by students are measured. The second is a cross-curricular aspect, evaluating the…

Results of a comparison of Papua New Guinea bilingual and monolingual students' (n=232) mathematics achievement indicated that bilingual students competent in both languages scored significantly higher on two different types of mathematical tests than both low-competent bilingual students and monolingual students. (32 references)

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students, a test given for the first time to establish baseline data for measuring student progress in geography well into the future. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess Geography; (2) The 1994…

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. History for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess History; (2) Preparing the 1994 NAEP U.S. History Assessment; (3) What is NAEP? (4) Creating a Framework for the U.S. History Assessment, with What…

The American College Testing (ACT) scores of New Mexico public high school graduates who applied for admission to New Mexico State University in 1981 were analyzed to determine the relationship between ACT scores and school size. The schools were divided into 6 categories according to enrollment: less than 100 students (15 applicants), 100-199…

This report, the fifth in a series assessing educational quality in Utah public schools, focuses on students' achievements and provides performance measures based on statewide results of various testing programs and special studies. The report presents three types of data relevant to major state board of education programs (such as Utah…

Greater knowledge about the practical application of Rasch technology can help in avoiding misapplications and confusions in testing programs. Equal interval curriculum-based scaling makes possible the following improvements in measuring basic skills achievement by enabling testing programs to: (1) individualize the difficulty level of…

After examining the decline in average scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) from 1963 to the present, it has been suggested that, although SAT scores continue to contribute to effective prediction of college grades, the test may have been overtaken by changes in high school programs that have made the test increasingly less related to the…

A study was designed to examine relationships of aptitude level to training performance on tasks of varying complexity and to determine if differential job training might be required. A complexity rated training battery with eight tasks (simple/choice monitoring, rifle assembly/disassembly, equipment preparation, map symbols, phonetic alphabet,…

This report contains a tabular summary of the results of the April 1974 city-wide reading test administered in Grades 2 through 9 in all New York City public schools. Test results are presented at three levels for comparative analysis: New York City with other major cities, community school districts within N.Y.C., and community schools within…

The fairness of testing practices for selection or promotion of members of different racial and ethnic groups has been questioned. In this study, a search was made of occupations in the Federal Government to find those in various agencies with sufficient ethnic group representation for acceptable sample size, and for which dependable and objective…

Computer assisted instruction (CAI) in Biology and Developmental Reading was administered at two junior high schools and two senior high schools in Philadelphia. The achievement of the students in CAI was compared with comparable students in traditionally instructed classes. The results of the standardized tests were equivocal. In Reading, the CAI…

The National Assessment, a census-like study to collect information concerning the educational attainment of Americans, is being adapted in many states with the results of the adaptations being used for decision making by state agencies or by teachers and administrators. The characteristics of the adaptations follow patterns related to this…

An evaluation of materials in the sequential anthropology curriculum project with regard to student learning and teacher training is presented. The project sample consisted of 2,183 students in grades 1, 2, 4, and 5. Two forms of the anthropology achievement test were administered as pretest and posttest measures to experimental and control groups…

This article explores whether it is possible to compare civilizations one with another; that is, whether one can construct some neutral and objective framework in terms of which we could establish in what respects one civilization might deserve to be ranked more highly than its competitors. The author states that, in addressing the idea of an…