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This paper analyzes whether schooling increases intelligence measured by intelligence quotient (IQ). We use a longitudinal dataset where the individuals have conducted IQ tests both at ages 10 and 20. We estimate the effect of schooling on IQ at age 20 conditional on IQ at age 10 and other measures of early cognitive ability to account for selection into noncompulsory schooling. Ordinary least squares estimates indicate that 1 year of schooling increases IQ by 2.9-3.5 points (about 0.2 SD deviations), and instrumental variables estimates are similar. (JEL I21, J24), I. INTRODUCTION An implicit assumption in the human capital literature is that education affects individuals' general and analytical skills, and not only achievements narrowly related to the curriculum. A general [...]

A study was undertaken to determine how far SES (socio economic status) factors could be relied on to predict differences in children's scholastic achievements as compared to children's intelligence tests. Results indicated that the SES factors do not predict children differences in scholastic achievement.

The authors investigated subgroup differences on a multiple-choice and constructed-response test of scholastic achievement in a sample of 197 African American and 258 White test takers. Although both groups had lower mean scores on the constructed-response test, the results showed a 39% reduction in subgroup differences compared with the multiple-choice test. The results demonstrate that the lower subgroup differences were explained by more favorable test perceptions for African Americans on the constructed-response test. In addition, the two test formats displayed comparable levels of criterion-related validity. The results suggest that the constructed-response test format may be a viable alternative to the traditional multiple-choice test format in efforts to simultaneously use valid predictors of performance and minimize subgroup differences in high-stakes testing. Keywords: constructed-response tests, multiple-choice tests, subgroup differences, adverse impact, test perceptions

The US's preoccupation with test-based accountability is founded on several misperceptions about other countries' practices as well as about international test score comparisons and the extent to which test scores are valid indicators of the quality of education or the state of the economy. A review of different education systems across the globe and the role of standardized testing in those schools are presented to show how No Child Left Behind (NCLB) fits in an international context.

Psychometric characteristics of the abridged Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment-III are reported. Data are from a study of 525 New Zealand primary school teachers and from a second study of 692 Queensland primary school teachers. The abridged version of 27 statements using a positively packed response scale had good fit characteristics for primary teachers in both New Zealand ([X.sub.311.sup.2]=841.02; RMSEA = .057; TLI = .87) and Queensland ([X.sub.311.sup.2] = 1492.61; RMSEA = .074; TLI= .80). While providing information of similar quality to that of the original the abridged version is more efficient than the full scale.

Alecia Ford had a problem that teachers everywhere face more and more frequently with the predominance of standardized testing--too much world history to teach in too little time. How could […]

A specific recommendation of the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education is that test publishers report estimates of the conditional standard error of measurement (SEM). Procedures for calculating the conditional (score-level) SEM based on raw scores are well documented; however, few procedures have been developed for estimating the conditional SEM of subtest or composite scale scores resulting from a nonlinear transformation. Item response theory provided the psychometric foundation to derive the conditional standard errors of measurement and confidence intervals for composite scores on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition.

(Received 25 June 2005; accepted 16 September 2005) Classroom response systems can be powerful tools for teaching physics. Their efficacy depends strongly on the quality of the questions. Creating effective questions is difficult and differs from creating exam and homework problems. Each classroom response system question should have an explicit pedagogic purpose consisting of a content goal, a process goal, and a metacognitive goal. Questions can be designed to fulfill their purpose through four complementary mechanisms: directing students' attention, stimulating specific cognitive processes, communicating information to the instructor and students via classroom response system-tabulated answer counts, and facilitating the articulation and confrontation of ideas. We identify several tactics that are useful for designing potent questions and present four 'makeovers' to show how these tactics can be used to convert traditional physics questions into more powerful questions for a classroom response system.

ABSTRACT: Many agricultural and environmental problems are interrelated and overlapping. Several agencies, including nonprofit organizations, have developed programs to educate schoolchildren about agricultural and environmental issues; however, programs that integrate [...]

THE COSTANO SCHOOL IN EAST PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, ACHIEVED national recognition in 2000 for overcoming enormous obstacles to achieve academic success. Its principal, Marthelia Hargrove, was designated Principal of the [...]

Chen-Su, a third grader, was given the test question in figure 1 and responded as shown in figure 2. What can we conclude about Chen-Su's mathematical understanding? One possible conclusion [...]

At the Beacon School in Manhattan, the teachers and administrators thought they had resolved, at least to their satisfaction, the long national debate over how best to assess students' work. [...]

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, thirty states have mandated tests for social studies. Out of these, the majority of states have plans for, or already have in place, tests that are 'high [...]

Abstract. In this article, we review problems in identification of learning disabilities and consider proposed alternatives to present procedures. We argue that no proposed alternative meets all the necessary criteria [...]

Abstract. The inclusion of processing components in definitions and assessment procedures for learning disabilities (LD) has waxed and waned since the 1960s, but interest has grown recently as dissatisfaction with [...]

The Consortium on Inclusive Schooling Practices (CISP) was a 5-year federally-funded project focused on building the capacity of state and local systems to deliver inclusive educational services. A policy framework was developed to guide its training and technical assistance efforts across multiple states and districts. The framework incorporates standards-based reform within an inclusive schooling perspective. This article describes the six components of this policy framework and the various ways in which it was applied. Based on its utility in this context, the authors suggest ways in which this tool can be used by practitioners and policymakers at the district and school level., The prevailing paradigm for education reform during the past decade has been standards-based reform (Smith & O'Day, 1990). Standards-based reform initiatives call for establishing clear, concise, and rigorous standards for [...]

Correct answers on multiple-choice tests in physics can falsely indicate student knowledge and understanding. Responses to a multiple-choice question about Newton's third law are analyzed and implications discussed.

State education agencies are now required to report on the educational performance and progress of all students, including students with disabilities. States are beginning to report trends, and to compare trends in performance of students with and without disabilities. We compare the effects of different methods of analyzing trends to illustrate how failure to account for changes in classification of students will lead to misinterpretation of data on the performance and progress of students with disabilities, and inappropriate policy decisions. We compare three ways of looking at trends over time, and use data from 5 years of assessment in a large state to illustrate the effects of students who change classification. We discuss how accounting for changes in classification of individual students will lead to more appropriate decisions and help avoid negative consequences for students with disabilities., Educators, parents, policymakers and citizens want and need to know the extent to which all students, including students with disabilities, are profiting from their educational programs. Recent school reforms are [...]

The paper analyzes the International Standard Classification of Education framework against three other international surveys of educational performance and determines the ISCRD framework is a useful and appropriate system to measuring skills.

This article discusses the problems associated with retaining or promoting students that have experienced educational failure. In light of national support to enforce educational standards that determine grade advancement, the author believes it is necessary to create a learning environment that works aggressively with students before they reach the point of failure.

Education policy makers persist in using results of standardized tests as the basis for their proposed reforms due to their lack of awareness on factors that generate skewed test results. The vast amount of information taught in each subject cannot possibly be comprehensively covered in an examination allocating only around 50 questions per subject. Furthermore, educational objectives vary among states, counties and even among school districts resulting in discrepancies between test coverage and actual topics taught.

The influence of school size on the examination performance of secondary school students was studied using The School Performance Tables for all publicly-financed educational institutions in England from 1992 until 1996. A nonlinear relationship was found to exist for the two parameters examined. The optimum exam performance was achieved for a school size of approximately 1,200 for 11 to 16 schools and 1,500 for 11 to 18 schools. The results were comparable with the existing mean size of schools, which is approximately 800 for 11 to 16 schools and 1,000 for 11 to 18 schools.

Internal consistency of scores on the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 and patterns of latencies and errors were estimated for 337 boys and 287 girls between the ages of 6 and 11 years, in the first five grades of primary school. The Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 presented moderate coefficients of internal consistency (.77) for errors and high coefficients (.94) for latencies. The correlation between latencies and errors was moderate and significant (-.50).