Since the authorization of the use of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) through the Trial State Assessment to provide state-based data, debate over the proposed expansion of the NAEP has strengthened. To assist states in analyzing and interpreting 1990 data on eighth-grade mathematics and to assist in planning subsequent NAEP…

Tech Prep is currently in practice in over 1,000 consortia and 5,700 schools nationwide. The skills required for employment in the future require schools to forgo traditional classroom and learning methods to implement courses where content is allied with real world living and working. However, concerns that community colleges have failed to…

In spring and fall 1988, a two-phase study was conducted at Nassau Community College to evaluate two courses in the mathematics program: Preparatory Mathematics (MAT 001) and Introductory Algebra (MAT 002). Pre- and post-tests for the classes were administered to assess student learning outcomes. The first phase of the study examined aspects of…

This report of the fourth British Columbia Mathematics Assessment conducted in May 1990 is a condensed form of the technical report of the evaluation project. The report is divided into five sections. An introduction provides the rationale and purpose of the project and describes the organization and scope of the assessment. The second section…

Mastering mathematics has become more important than ever in the United States. Students with a strong grasp of mathematics have an advantage in academics and in the job market. The eighth grade is a critical point in mathematics education. Achievement at that stage clears the way for students to take rigorous high school mathematics and science…

In September 1990, a study was conducted of the performance on basic skills examinations of first-time-in-college degree-seeking students who entered Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) during fall term 1990. The study examined placement results on the Computerized Placement Test (CPT) and the Florida Multiple Assessment Programs and Services…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most ambitious study undertaken by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Forty-five countries collected data in more than 30 languages. Five grade levels were tested in the two subject areas, so that more than half a million…

Mathematics departments rarely require students to study very much logic before working with proofs. Normally, the most they will offer is contained in a small portion of a "bridge" course designed to help students move from more procedurally-based lower-division courses (e.g., abstract algebra and real analysis). What accounts for this seeming…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides data about what children know and can do with the goal of using this information to improve education. This book contains interpretive reports based on results from the mathematics assessments conducted by the NAEP regarding: (1) the cognitive performance of students at grades 4, 8,…

The LegiSchool Project of the California State Legislature and California State University conducts televised Town Meetings to provide a forum for dialogue about problems of interest in California education. This collection contains background readings and materials for the fifth of these Town Meetings, to be titled "Segregated Schools:…

This paper presents an analysis of the different types of meanings that an individual may assign to a collection of algebraic symbols depending on the mathematical context in which the symbols are presented and the mathematical knowledge possessed by that individual. Four contexts for the Quadratic Theorem are used to illustrate the ways in which…

An error in an essential equation within the article by Williams and Zimmerman is corrected, and the algebraic inequalities are translated into questions a researcher can ask about simple or residualized difference scores. Williams and Zimmerman acknowledge the error and note that main conclusions are not affected. (SLD)

Examines an algebraic model for projecting how many newly hired teachers will be needed in both public and private schools from 1998-99 to 2008-09. Discusses results based on the model, including several alternative projections. (Author)

This paper discusses learning outcomes resulting from three national curricular reform efforts in mathematics. Focus is placed on the College Board's Equity 2000 program which operates on the principle that all students are given the opportunity to demonstrate high levels of academic achievement in mathematics. Information is provided on the…

It is argued that interrater agreement is a psychometric property which is theoretically different from classic reliability. Formulas are presented to illustrate a set of algebraically equivalent rater agreement indices that are intended to provide educational and psychological researchers with a practical way to establish a measure of rater…