ERIC Number: ED251319
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1984
Pages: 64
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The 1984 Indiana State Mathematics Contest: Tests and Analysis of Student Performance.
Balka, Don S.; And Others
The second Indiana Mathematics Contest included tests in Algebra (First Course), Geometry, Algebra (Second Course), and Comprehensive. Test-writing responsibilities were delegated to mathematics and mathematics education faculties at four state universities, with the mathematical content based on course objectives in the state guidelines. Fourteen sites across Indiana served as test centers, with 2394 students participating. Outstanding Scholar awards were presented to 136 students. Analysis of the performance of a random stratified sample of 129 students on selected items from each test is then presented. Item difficulties were examined to determine areas of weakness. For Algebra (First Course), fundamental operations on rational expressions and roots for quadratic equations were of particular concern. Three areas of concern were evident on the Algebra (Second Course) results: exponential and logarithmic functions, permutations and combinations, and ability to analyze conditions related to solutions to elementary algebraic equations and functions. In Geometry, ability to apply information in novel situations seemed to create difficulty, rather than specific content. On the Comprehensive Test, concern was with a range of content. Overall, a lack of problem-solving ability was noted. Appendices contain the four tests. (MNS)
Publication Type: Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A