Putting Standardized Tests and Scales to Practical Use in the Rural Schools

ABSTRACT

The authors compared the performance of third-grade students testing on answer sheets with those testing on machine-scored test booklets. The 1,832 students in the nationally representative sample were assigned at the campus level to complete the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition in 1 of 4 conditions: (a) Form A answer sheet, (b) Form A booklet, (c) Form B answer sheet, and (d) Form B booklet. After controlling for scholastic ability, no significant differences in performance on total reading, total mathematics, and total language strands were found between students using booklets and those using answer sheets. The results of this study provide no evidence to support the need to use separate test booklets with general education third-grade students. States may consider using separate answer sheets with these students to realize potential cost and schedule efficiencies.     

Conditions Revealed by the Use of Standardized Tests in Rural Schools

Abstract

Two hundred eighty-five twelve-year-old children were asked to list all things that thrill, delight, and make them happy. The material was arranged in separate tests for boys and girls and provided for five degrees of feelings: like much, like, don't mind, don't like, hate. The tests were given to 285 other children of the same age and background. The results were tabulated and arranged according to frequency for "like much," The items were then classified under social interests, hobbies and interests, games and amusements, home and family, dreams and ambitions, school, foods, desire to possess, health and appearance. This paper reports the children's reactions to home and family, dreams and ambitions, school, foods, desire to possess, health and appearance, and to significant sex differences. The findings indicate attitudes toward home and school.     

Effects of Ethnicity and Violent Content on Rubric Scores in Writing Samples

Abstract

Bias in teacher-scored student writing samples was examined in this exploratory study. Four nearly identical writing samples were employed with the following contextual differences: (a) Two sets of distinct ethnocultural markers were presented in 2 of the passages and (b) markers of violent content were included in 1 passage from each ethnocultural set. Samples were assigned randomly to teachers who were asked to score 1 writing sample according to a supplied scoring rubric. Results indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference in ratings between ethnicity conditions across levels of the content (violent/nonviolent) condition. Across ethnicity conditions, however, there were statistically significant differences between the violent and the nonviolent content in favor of the nonviolent content.     

Relying on High-Stakes Standardized Tests to Evaluate Schools and Teachers: A Bad Idea

In the twenty-first century, the use of standardized tests as the primary means to evaluate schools and teachers in the United States has contributed to severe dilemmas, including misleading information on what students know, lower-level instruction, cheating, less collaboration, unfair treatment of teachers, and biased teaching. This article provides reasons for the increased use in high-stakes testing and detail on the problems it causes. Also included are possible solutions to alleviate the concerns associated with high-stakes testing.     

The Effect of Coaching on the Predictive Validity of Scholastic Aptitude Tests

The present study was designed to examine whether coaching affects the predictive validity and fairness of scholastic aptitude tests. Two randomly allocated groups, coached and uncoached, were compared, and the results revealed that although coaching enhanced scores on the Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test by about 25% of a standard deviation, it did not affect predictive validity and did not create a prediction bias. These results refute claims that coaching reduces predictive validity and creates a bias against the uncoached examinees in predicting the criterion. The results are consistent with the idea that score improvement due to coaching does not result strictly from learning specific skills that are irrelevant to the criterion.     

Using Patterns of Summed Scores in Paper-and-Pencil Tests and Computer-Adaptive Tests to Detect Misfitting Item Score Patterns

Two new methods have been proposed to determine unexpected sum scores on sub-tests (testlets) both for paper-and-pencil tests and computer adaptive tests. A method based on a conservative bound using the hypergeometric distribution, denoted p, was compared with a method where the probability for each score combination was calculated using a highest density region (HDR). Furthermore, these methods were compared with the standardized log-likelihood statistic with and without a correction for the estimated latent trait value (denoted as l*_z and l_z, respectively). Data were simulated on the basis of the one-parameter logistic model, and both parametric and non-parametric logistic regression was used to obtain estimates of the latent trait. Results showed that it is important to take the trait level into account when comparing subtest scores. In a nonparametric item response theory (IRT) context, on adapted version of the HDR method was a powerful alterative to p. In a parametric IRT context, results showed that l*_z had the highest power when the data were simulated conditionally on the estimated latent trait level.     

Applying Partial Credit Analysis to the Construction of Narrative Writing Tests

This article describes work in progress aimed at applying partial credit analysis to the construction of a set of narrative writing tasks for use with children in their 3rd to 10th years of school. Each student's written story is rated on each of eight scales (e.g., Setting, Dialogue Use, Coherence and Story Structure). These eight scales are treated as eight items in the analysis. Results show how the analysis can be used to identify aspects of writing that function differently from others and so should not be included in a global measure of writing proficiency. By using the calibrated writing scales to mark out a continuum of developing proficiency, global measures of students' narrative writing ability can be interpreted in terms of the most probable characteristics of each student's writing.     

开发利用阅读课文本资源，以读促写

高校英语专业写作课时数有限,教学方法滞后,难以完成高效培养学生写作能力的要求,而阅读课中大量精选的优秀文章得不到充分利用,这是一种资源的浪费。语言教学的最终目的是培养交际能力。若能在现有的课程设置基础上充分利用阅读课文本资源,将读写巧妙结合,可避免费时低效,使二者互惠双赢。     

Effects of Coaching on SAT I: Reasoning Test Scores

A College Board-sponsored survey of a nationally representative sample of 1995–96 SAT takers yielded a data base for more than 4, 000 examinees, about 500 of whom had attended formal coaching programs outside their schools. Several alternative analytical methods were used to estimate the effects of coaching on SAT I: Reasoning Test scores. The various analyses produced slightly different estimates. All of the estimates, however, suggested that the effects of coaching are far less than is claimed by major commercial test preparation companies. The revised SAT does not appear to be any more coachable than its predecessor.     

试析汉字的规范书写及应用

汉字是中华文明的载体,中国传统文化素有对汉字敬爱珍惜的情感;封建社会的历朝历代,从官方到民间,都非常注重汉字的规范书写;当今社会,计算机虽然在很大程度上替代了手写汉字,但规范的书写、运用汉字仍旧是全社会都应该引起重视的一件大事。     

Performance Funding in Higher Education: The Effects of Student Motivation on the Use of Outcomes Tests to Measure Institutional Effectiveness

This study obtained data from 1,633 students who took the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) to evaluate whether the English, math, and critical thinking exams should be used as performance funding measures in the state. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was utilized to demonstrate that the use of the exams was problematic because students failed to give the assessments their best effort. Other variables in the analysis included level of English and math completed, grade point averages for English and math, cumulative grade point averages, and student characteristics. Policy implications for performance funding are also addressed in the study.     

Continuous Practice-Based Research on the Use of Standardized Patients

In the past ten years, the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) project team of the Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University has continuously conducted further study on the development and maintenance of standardized patients and their application in teaching. The team carried out a series of randomized controlled studies on the application of standardized patients in OSCEs, and obtained strong theoretical and practical results.     

钹式水听器的改进及仿真测试研究

钹式水听器体积小,灵敏度高,但是接收的性能不够稳定,接收频带比较窄.为了解决这个问题,文章对钹式水听器结构进行改进,将水听器中单片压电陶瓷晶片改成双片,减小晶片半径,采用并联电路.文中先对水听器进行静态分析,然后用有限元软件对改进前后的水听器进行模拟分析,最后在水池中进行实验.结果都证明了改进后的水听器接收频带变宽,频段内接收性能稳定,灵敏度依然较高.     

反馈理论与自学考试分数报告的改进

分数报告是自学考试评价的关键环节,负责向考生传递考试评价的全部成果。分数报告属于学业反馈的范畴,通过控制反馈内容对学习者进行干预,进而影响其学业表现。本文描述了自学考试分数报告的现状,介绍了反馈理论的主要内容及其研究成果,首次尝试将反馈理论引入自学考试评价领域,指导自学考试分数报告的改进。本文提出,自学考试分数报告的改进应遵循:明确的学习标准、详细的诊断信息、合理的策略改进建议、引发反思、积极的效价等原则,以更好地促进考生的学习与发展。     

美国2011年NAEP写作试题编制研究

美国全国教育进步评估(NAEP)是由国会授权教育部主持的一项权威测评体系.基于2011年的NAEP写作评价体系,本文研究了美国2011年NAEP写作试题编制的价值取向,编制框架和具体操作,得出对我国作文试题编制的几点重要启示.     

Effects of the Showcase Writing Portfolio Process on First Graders' Writing

The showcase writing portfolio process was introduced for nine weeks to eighteen first grade students as an instructional intervention strategy to significantly increase: 1) quality of writing as assessed by the modified holistic rubrics, 2) quantity of writing as assessed using a count of total words written and number of words per journal entry, and 3) motivation to write as assessed by the frequency of visitation to the writing center. Using a t-test analysis, there was a significant increase on all three post assessment measures, as compared to the pre-assessment measures. Thus, the showcase writing portfolio process is an effective teaching strategy for improving writing. The educational implications and significance of this research are: 1) the intervention can be readily integrated into existing early literacy practices advocated in an early childhood curriculum; 2) the measure can be easily used by classroom practitioners for assessment of writing products and processes; 3) the study expands practitioners' uses of the portfolio process as a teaching and motivating methodology.     

Effects of the Showcase Writing Portfolio Process on First Graders' Writing

The showcase writing portfolio process was introduced for nine weeks to eighteen first grade students as an instructional intervention strategy to significantly increase: 1) quality of writing as assessed by the modified holistic rubrics, 2) quantity of writing as assessed using a count of total words written and number of words per journal entry, and 3) motivation to write as assessed by the frequency of visitation to the writing center. Using a t-test analysis, there was a significant increase on all three post assessment measures, as compared to the pre-assessment measures. Thus, the showcase writing portfolio process is an effective teaching strategy for improving writing. The educational implications and significance of this research are: 1) the intervention can be readily integrated into existing early literacy practices advocated in an early childhood curriculum; 2) the measure can be easily used by classroom practitioners for assessment of writing products and processes; 3) the study expands practitioners' uses of the portfolio process as a teaching and motivating methodology.     

结合PageRank算法的Lucene评分机制改进研究

提出了一种基于Lucene评分机制的PageRank改进算法,实现两者之间算法的有效互补,并利用Lucene框架搭建一个校园网搜索引擎,用以验证新算法的特性.     

In practice: Coaching students to academic success and engagement on campus

The University of South Carolina improves struggling students' academic success and engagement on campus using a coaching framework of self‐assessment, reflection, and goal setting.