ERIC Number: ED268156
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1986-Jan
Pages: 50
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Implications of New Technology for Mathematics and Science Testing.
Bennett, Randy Elliot; Whittington, Beverly R.
The increasing use of microcomputers and hand-held calculators has implications for mathematics and science instruction, achievement testing, and educational research. The potential effects of these technologies on curricula involve both content and delivery. In mathematics instruction, the focus may shift from manipulative to higher order skills. In both science and mathematics, instructional delivery will include the use of computers and calculators to demonstrate concepts, teach through experimentation, and teach through programming. The curricular validity of achievement tests may be threatened--in particular, those administered through the Admissions Testing Program and the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board. Threats to credibility are linked to the perception that programs that ignore technology are out-of-date, and to the view that tests dictate curricula. Further research is needed to: (1) survey the curricula in high school and first-year college science and mathematics; (2) analyze the content of Advanced Placement and Admissions Testing Program mathematics and science tests in relation to curricular trends; (3) explore the implications of developing new test items versus new tests; (4) assess the implications of allowing the use of calculators during testing; and (5) develop, administer, and analyze a computer based laboratory science test. (Author/GDC)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Calculators, College Entrance Examinations, College Mathematics, College Science, Credibility, Curriculum Development, Educational Trends, High Schools, Higher Education, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Tests, Microcomputers, Research Needs, Science Instruction, Science Tests, Secondary School Mathematics, Secondary School Science, Test Construction, Test Validity
Publication Type: Reports - General
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Advanced Placement Examinations (CEEB)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A