A study of 29 students enrolled in Algebra II in an 8-week summer instructional program for minority students was conducted to reveal the skills that students have in translating among representational forms in mathematics problems where the representational form is varied in the given problem and in the required form of the answer. All students…

This document offers instructional materials for a 60-hour course on math operations involving decimals, fractions, proportions, statistics, probability, measurement, geometry, and linear algebra as applied in the workplace. The course was part of a workplace literacy project developed by Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and its…

The high levels of anxiety, apprehension, and apathy of students in college algebra courses caused the instructor to create and test a variety of math teaching techniques designed to boost student confidence and enthusiasm in the subject. Overall, this proposal covers several different techniques, which have been evaluated by both students and the…

In 1989, a study was conducted of the status of student assessment and developmental education in Michigan's 29 public community colleges and three public four-year colleges which serve in a community college capacity. The study sought to to determine: (1) the number of community college students in need of and actually enrolled in developmental…

There has been concern over the validity of the Algebra Diagnostic Test (ADT) used to determine the actual level of student preparation for the first quarter of calculus as taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It has been hypothesized that performance-based questions, along with the more traditional multiple choice questions,…

This report offers details of the results of basic skills testing of the entering freshman class in New Jersey's public colleges. Levels of proficiency in verbal skills, computation, and elementary algebra are estimated from performance on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. For the 48,568 students tested in the fall of 1990, 24%…

This report offers details of the results of basic skills testing of the entering freshman class in New Jersey's public colleges. Levels of proficiency in verbal skills, computation, and elementary algebra are estimated from performance on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. For the 48,791 students tested in the fall of 1989, 24%…

The purpose of this study was to determine if teaching techniques and teacher attitudes tend to reduce math anxiety in secondary-level students. The research group consisted of 48 secondary students enrolled in Algebra I at a rural school in West Virginia, with the experimental period lasting 12 weeks. The control group was instructed in the…

Education reform and technical assistance systems have been criticized for their inability to sustain significant, long-term improvements in teaching and learning. One method that has shown success is the use of an external facilitator in comprehensive school-change efforts. In collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, the…

The effect of collaborative testing on junior high school students' scores was investigated. Twenty-two students in grades 7, 8, and 9 were given curriculum-based tests in their pre-algebra classes. Some tests were taken individually in the traditional manner, and others were taken collaboratively by students in pairs over a 10-week period.…

Project SEED is a U.S. nationwide program in which professional mathematicians and scientists from major universities, research corporations, and the community teach abstract, conceptually oriented mathematics to full-sized classes of elementary school children on a daily basis as an extra-period supplement to their mathematics program. The…

The Texas Teacher Internship Program (TTIP) is a competitive program for science, technology and mathematics teachers who serve as summer interns at industry and university sites in order to experience real world applications of the subjects they teach. This document contains curriculum implementation plans developed by the teachers to illustrate…

This digest is designed to provide information to Texas testing coordinators, other educators, and interested citizens about the development procedures and technical attributes of the state-mandated criterion-referenced assessment program. The chapters are: (1) "Background"; (2) "Test Development"; (3) "Test…

This paper reports on a study that examines mathematics scores when hands on manipulatives and group activities are used in the classroom at the middle school level. The study also explores changes in students' opinions of mathematics, assesses the intentions of females to take higher mathematics classes in high school, and surveys the amount of…

Eighty ninth graders who solved an algebra problem in groups of four showed status effects at the individual level. The students had filled out preactivity questionnaires about mathematical status and social status and a postactivity leadership questionnaire. Hierarchical regressions and path analyses show that, at the group level, solution score…