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This study explored changes in relative achievement over time. It also investigated differences in how two groups of students activate mathematical competencies. The aim of the study was to investigate students’ relative achievement in mathematics over time, and how mathematical competencies can be used to explore differences between groups of students on a non-curriculum based test in mathematics. The study was divided in two parts. Study 1 compared students’ (n=568) relative achievement in two national tests in mathematics (years 3 and 6). Study 1 explored changes in relative achievement between the two national tests as well as differences in relative achievement between the national test in year 6 and the mathematical kangaroo in year 7 (age 13). The study identified, from a sample (n=264) of study 1, two groups of students with high achievements in only one of the tests, the national test in year 6 or the mathematical kangaroo. Study 2 explored how differences between those students relative achievement on the mathematical kangaroo could be explained through activation of mathematical competencies. The results in study 1 show that students undergo large changes, both increases and decreases, in relative achievement between the national tests in years 3 and 6. Study 2 shows how the two identified groups activate the mathematical competencies differently on the mathematical kangaroo. 9% of the students achieve highly in the mathematical kangaroo although they do not in the national test. The study implicates the importance of using non-curriculum bounded tests to identify strength in mathematical competencies among students that not are able to show them through the national test.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:58:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_rita_gomes_machado.pdf: 2957635 bytes, checksum: fb619d4ef8ca9f3db62921f9a2f11e51 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2002-10-08 / This study intends to contribute to the History of Mathematics Education in Brazil from 1920 to 1960, from the analysis of Mathematics tests of entrance examination tests in secondary school. Considering theoretical-methodological studies about the history of school disciplines as references, the research tried to show that the entrance examinations constituted an obstacle to the modernization proposal of mathematics teaching in Brazil. This proposal reflected the design of the first movement of internalization of school mathematics / Este estudo intenta contribuir com a história da Educação Matemática no Brasil, no período 1920 - 1960, a partir da análise das provas de Matemática dos exames de admissão ao ensino secundário. Considerando como referencial teórico-metodológico estudos sobre a história das disciplinas escolares, a pesquisa procurou mostrar que os exames de admissão constituíram entrave à proposta de modernização do ensino de Matemática no Brasil. Essa proposta refletia no país, o ideário do primeiro movimento de internacionalização da Matemática escolar

Since the late 1800s, testing has been a part of education. Supporters claim testing encourages objectivity in assessments of learning. Critics argue testing creates bias, restricted teaching methodology, and restricted curriculum. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires school accountability that has increased the push for standardized testing. High school students present a unique challenge for administrators on the low-risk California Standards Tests (CSTs). The CSTs in mathematics are complex in reference to student composition, range of courses tested, and sequence of previous math courses taken by the student. This complex nature of the CSTs in mathematics makes test preparation decisions difficult for the site administrator. Schools have developed test preparation practices in the hopes of improving student performance on these standardized tests. Some of these practices require a great deal of time, energy, and money to create and execute. The administrator must use these precious resources judiciously. Therefore, there is a need for further investigation of the criteria used by site administrators for selection of test preparation practices for CSTs in mathematics. Using qualitative analysis, this study researched the criteria used by the high school site administrators to govern their decision of which test preparation practices for CSTs in mathematics to establish at their school. This study included 18 administrators at 15 schools in the southern San Joaquin Valley in California that met their Academic Performance Index growth targets for 2006.