Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions February 1992 OTA-SET-519 NTIS order #PB92-170091 Recommended Citation: U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions, OTA-SET-519 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, February 1992). Foreword Education is a primary concern for our country, and testing is a primary tool of education. No other country tests its school children with the frequency and seriousness that characterizes the United States. Once the province of classroom teachers, testing has also become an instrument of State and Federal policy. Over the past decade in particular, the desire of the Congress and State Legislatures to improve education and evaluate programs has substantiality intensified the amount and importance of testing. Because of these developments and in light of current research on thinking and learning, Congress asked OTA to provide a comprehensive report on educational testing, with emphasis on new approaches. Changing technology and new understanding of think ing and learning offer avenues for testing in different ways. These new approaches are attractive, but inevitably carry some drawbacks. Too often, testing is treated narrowly, rather than as a flexible tool to obtain information about important questions. In this report, OTA places testing in its historical and policy context, examines the reasons for testing and the ways it is done, and identifies particular ways Federal policy affects the picture, The report also explores new approaches to testing that derive from modem technology and cognitive research. The advisory panel, workshop participants, reviewers, and other contributors to this study were instrumental in defining the key issues and providing a range of perspectives on them. OTA thanks them for their commitment of energy and sense of purpose. Their participation does not necessarily represent endorsement of the contents of this report, for which OTA bears sole responsibility. u JOHN H. GIBBONS ///,., Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions Advisory Panel Sheldon H. White, Pane/ Chair Professor of Psychology, Harvard University Joan Boykoff Baron Henry Levin Project Director Professor of Education and Economics Connecticut State Department of Education Stanford University Winston Brown Harold Miller Dean of Admissions Former Chairman Xavier University Houghton Mifflin co. Alan Campbell Richard J. Noeth The Wharton School Vice President for Field Services University of Pennsylvania Educational Testing Service l Matthew Caulfield Edward D. Roeber Deputy Commander for Warfighting Director, Education Assessment Center Marine Corps Combat Development Command Council of Chief State School Officers James Fallows Nancy Rus Washington Editor Director of Human Resources Planning The Atlantic and Research Motorola, Inc. Bert Green Professor of Psychology Cinthia Schuman The Johns Hopkins University Executive Director National Center for Fair & Open Testing H.D. Hoover Professor of Education Rita J. Sherbenou University of Iowa Director J The Winston School Sharon Johnson-Lewis Director, Office of Planning, Research, Jack Webber and Evaluation Sixth Grade Teacher Detroit Public Schools Samantha Smith Elementary School NOTE: OTA appreciates and is grateful for the valuable assistance and thoughtful critiques provided by the advisory panel members. The panel does not, however, necessarily approve, disapprove, or endorse this report. OTA assumes full responsibility for the report and the accuracy of its contents. iv Testing in American Schools: Asking the Right Questions OTA Project Staff John Andelin, Assistant Director, OTA Science, Information, and Natural Resources Division Nancy Carson, Program Manager Science, Education, and Transportation Michael J. Feuer, Project Director Kathleen Fulton, Senior Analyst Patricia Morison, Analyst David Wye, Analyst Stephen Garcia, Research Assistant George Branyan, Research Analyst Elizabeth Hirsch, Research Assistant Jamie Netter, Research Assistant Caryn Cherlin, Summer Intern Marsha Fenn, Technical Editor Gay Jackson, PC Specialist Tamara Cymanski, Administrative Secretary Contractors Douglas A. Archbald Robert L. Linn University of Delaware University of Colorado, Boulder C.V. Bunderson George F. Madaus The Institute for Computer Uses in Education Boston College Paul Burke Gail R. Meister Consultant Research for Better Schools Alan Collins and Jan Hawkins Ruth Mitchell and Amy Stempel Center for Children and Technology Council for Basic Education Bank Street College Nelson L. Noggle Larry Cuban Centers for the Advancement of Stanford University Educational Practices Thomas Kellaghan Andrew C. Porter St. Patricks College University of Wisconsin, Madison Dublin, Ireland Judah Schwartz and Katherine Viator Nancy Kober Harvard University Consultant Reviewers and Contributors Judith Alamprese Gerald Bracey William Cummings COSMOS Corp. Consultant Harvard Institute for International Development Joseph Anzek John Bransford Brunswick Acres School Learning Technology Center Susan Davis Kendall Park, New Jersey Vanderbilt University San Diego City School Board Pam Aschbacher Alfred Brennan Christopher Dede University of California at Los Angeles Riverside Publishing Co. George Mason University Walter Askin W. Ross Brewer Richard Devore California State University, Los Angeles Vermont Department of Education Educational Testing Service James Ayrer Daniel Broun Kevin Dopart Philadelphia School District Office of Technology Assessment Office of Technology Assessment Eva Baker Diane Brown Nancy Draper University of California at Los Angeles American Psychological Association Chinle School District Gail Barcelo Wallace Brown Steven Dunbar New Jersey Board of Education Arizona Department of Education University of Iowa Walter Bartman Clare Burstall E, Alden Dunham Walt Whitman High School National Foundation for Educational Carnegie Corp. of New York Bethesda, Maryland Research in England and Wales Mary Duru Ernest Bauer Paula Butterfield District of Columbia Public Schools School District #7 Oakland Michigan School District Lois Easton Bozeman, Montana Robert Bednarzik Arizona Department of Education U.S. Department of Labor Wayne Camara Max Eckstein American Psychological Association Grant Behnke Queens College San Diego City Schools Raymond Campeau City University of New York Bozeman Senior High School Dorinda Edmondson Randy Bernet Bozeman, Montana Educational Testing Service Office of Technology Assessment Dale Carlson Carol Edwards Sue Bennett California Department of Education California Department of Education Office of Technology Assessment Ruben Carriedo Donald Eklund Sue Betka San Diego City Schools U.S. Department of Education Association of American Publishers Linda Carstens Emerson Elliot Marilyn Binkley San Diego City Schools U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics Daryl Chubin Penelope Engel Diane Bishop Office of Technology Assessment Arizona Department of Education Educational Testing Service Stephen Clyman Thomas Fagan John Bledsoe National Board of Examiners Walter Johnson High School U.S. Department of Education Bethesda, Maryland Kathleen Connor Roger Farr Philadelphia Public Schools Phyllis Blumenfeld Indiana University Center for Research on Learning and John Cradler Frederick Finch Schooling Far West Laboratory Riverside Publishing Co. Sigmund BoloZ Stephanie Craib Tom Fitzgibbon Ganado Primary School Green Brook School Techne Group, Inc. Ganado, Arizona Elaine Craig Dexter Fletcher Norberto Bottani Center for Civic Education Institute for Defense Analyses Organisation for Economic Cooperation Calabasis, California and Development Wendell Fletcher James Crouse Office of Technology Assessment Gene Bottoms University of Delaware Southern Regional Education Board Geoffrey Fletcher Limping He Walter McDonald Texas Education Agency Chinese Embassy Educational Testing Service Washington, DC Jack Foster Michael Meagher Education and Humanities Cabinet, Steve Heyneman Longfellow Elementary School Kentucky World Bank Bozeman, Montana Joy Frechtling W. John Higham William Mehrens Montgomery County Public Schools, New York State Education Department Michigan State University Maryland Patricia Holliday Harry Miller John Fremer Deans School New England Telephone Educational Testing Service Monmouth Junction, New Jersey Chip Moore Susan Fuhrman Shinichiro Horie Office of Technology Assessment Rutgers University Japanese Embassy Richard Murnane Washington, DC Louis Gappmayer Harvard University Bozeman Senior High School Jerry Hume Joseph S. Murphy Bozeman, Montana Basic American Foods City University of New York Howard Gardner Michael Katz V. Nebyvaev Harvard University University of Pennsylvania Embassy of the U.S.S.R. Robert Glaser Michael Kean David Niguidula University of Pittsburgh CTB MacMillan/McGraw Hill Brown University Alan Glenn E.W. Kelly Harold Noah University of Washington Cornell University State University of New York, Buffalo Susan Goldman Jeff Kenney Nelson Noggle Learning Technology Center National Council of Architectural Arizona State University Vanderbilt University Registration Boards Desmond Nuttall Steve German G. Gage Kingsbury London School of Economics & Political U.S. Department of Education Portland Public Schools, Oregon Science Jim Greeno David Kirp John O’Neill Stanford University University of California, Berkeley National Computer Systems Robert Guion Daniel Koretz James Olsen Consulting Psychologist
Recommended publications
  • Donor-Advised Fund
    WELCOME. The New York Community Trust brings together individuals, families, foundations, and businesses to support nonprofits that make a difference. Whether we’re celebrating our commitment to LGBTQ New Yorkers—as this cover does—or working to find promising solutions to complex problems, we are a critical part of our community’s philanthropic response. 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 1 A WORD FROM OUR DONORS Why The Trust? In 2018, we asked our donors, why us? Here’s what they said. SIMPLICITY & FAMILY, FRIENDS FLEXIBILITY & COMMUNITY ______________________ ______________________ I value my ability to I chose The Trust use appreciated equities because I wanted to ‘to‘ fund gifts to many ‘support‘ my community— different charities.” New York City. My ______________________ parents set an example of supporting charity My accountant and teaching me to save, suggested The Trust which led me to having ‘because‘ of its excellent appreciated stock, which tools for administering I used to start my donor- donations. Although advised fund.” my interest was ______________________ driven by practical considerations, The need to fulfill the I eventually realized what charitable goals of a dear an important role it plays ‘friend‘ at the end of his life in the City.” sent me to The Trust. It was a great decision.” ______________________ ______________________ The Trust simplified our charitable giving.” Philanthropy is a ‘‘ family tradition and ______________________ ‘priority.‘ My parents communicated to us the A donor-advised fund imperative, reward, and at The Trust was the pleasure in it.” ‘ideal‘ solution for me and my family.” ______________________ I wanted to give back, so I opened a ‘fund‘ in memory of my grandmother and great-grandmother.” 2 NYCOMMUNITYTRUST.
    [Show full text]
  • * Supplied by EMS Are the Best That Can Be Made from the Original
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 115 128 FL 007 330 AUTHOR Thogmartin, Clyde TITLE A Bibliography of Empirical Investigations of Certain Aspects of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, 1925-1975. PUB DATE 75 NOTE 67p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$3.32 Plus Postage DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; *Bibliographies; Bilingual Education; Bilingualism; Educational Equipment; *Educational Research; Error Patterns; Fles; Individual Differences; Instructional Materials; Instructional Media; Interference (Language Learning); *Language Instruction; Language Proficiency; *Language Research; Language Skills; Language Tests; Psycholinguistics; *Second Language Learning; Student Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Transfer of Training; Vocabulary Development ABSTRACT This 647-item bibliography is limited to reports on empirical research and discussions of research reports on various aspects of foreign language learning, mostly drawn from American and British journals and Ph.D. dissertations since 1925 and from ERIC documents. Principal topics include content of teaching materials, cognitive effects of bilingualism, measurement of bilingual proficiency, psychological studies of bilinguals, relationships between various language skills, the psycholinguistics of second language learning, transfer and interference, error analysis, vocabulary learning, bilingual education, foreign languages in the elementary schools, individual differences in language learning success, prognosis, teaching methods, equipment, media, testing, language difficulty, and effects of language learning
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology of School Learning: Views of the Learner
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 104 859 SP 009 097 AUTHOR Bart, William M., Ed.; Wong, Martin R., Ed. TITLE Psychology of School Learning: Views of the Learner. Volume I: Environmentalism. INSTITUTION MSS Information Ccrp., New York, N.Y. PUB DATE 74 'NOTE 249p. AVAILABLE FROM MSS Information 'orporation, 655 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10021 ($6.25 paper, $12.00 cloth, 20 percent discount on orders of $200.00 or more) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$12.05 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS Behavioral Objectives; Computer Assisted Instruction; Educational Philosophy; *Educational Psychology; *Environmental Influences; Higher Education; *Learning; *Learning Specialists; Reinforcement; Teacher Education ABSTRACT This document is the first of three volumes presenting essays from three schools of thought regarding learning. Volume one consists of readings from psychologists, philosophers, and learning theorists concerning the view that the learner isa product primarily of environmental factors. The list of essays includes the following:(a) "Ideas and Their Origin," (b) "The Free and Happy Student," (c) "The Technology of Teaching," (d) "Treatment of Nonreading in a Culturally Deprived Juvenile Delinquent: An Application of Reinforcement Principles," (e) "Production and Elimination of Disruptive Classroom Behavior by Systematically Varying Teacher's Behavior," (f) "Learning Theory Approaches to Classroom Management: Rationale and Intervention Techniques," (g) "A Token Reinforcement Program in a Public School: A Replication and Systematic Analysis," (h) "Educational
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Comprehension of Materials Written with Select Oral Language Patterns: a Study at Grades 2 and 4
    DCCUMENT RESUME ED 036 405 24 RE 002 386 AUTHOR TATHAM, SUSAN MASLAND TITLE READ-NG COMPREHENSION CF MATERIALS WRITTEN WITH SELECT ORAL LANGUAGE PATTERNS: A STUDY AT GRADES 2 AND 4. INSTITUTION WISCONSIN UNIV., MADISON. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR COGNITIVE LEARNING. SPONS AGENCY OFFICE OF EDUCATION (DHEW), WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU OF RESEARCH.. REPORT MO TR-86 BUREAU NO BR-5-0216 PUB DATE JUL 69 CONTRACT OEC-5-10-154 MOTE 1422.. EDRS PRICE EDRS PRICE MF-$0..75 HC-$7.20 DESCRIPTORS GRADE 2, GRADE 4, *LANGUAGE PATTERNS, *LANGUAGE RESEARCH, LANGUAGE ROLE, *ORAL EXPRESSION, *READING COMPREHENSION, *READING RESEARCH ABSTRACT TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT STUDENTS IN GRADES 2 AND 4 COMPREHENDED MATERIALS WRITTEN WITH PATTERNS THAT APPEAR FREQUENTLY IN THEIR SPEECH BETTER THAN MATERIALS WRITTEN WITH PATTERNS THAT APPEAR INFREQUENTLY, TWO READING COMPREHENSION TESTS WERE DEVISED BY THE INVESTIGATOR* SUBJECTS WERE ALI SECCND- AND FOURTH-GRADE CLASSROOMS FROM TWO SIMILAR SCHOCLS: 163 GRADE-2 STUDENTS (81 GIRLS, 82 BOYS) AND 137 GRADE-4 STUDENTS (69 GIRLS, 68 BOYS).. TEST A USED FREQUENTLY OCCURRING PATTERNS FRCM THE ORAL LANGUAGE OF SECOND AND FOURTH GRADERS, AND TEST B USED INFREQUENTLY OCCURRING PATTERNS IN THE ORAL LANGUAGE OF STUDENTS IRCM THE SAME GRADES. PATTERNS WERE SELECTED FROM STRICKLAND'S STUDY (1962). CHI SQUARE AND T TESTS WERE USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA RESULTS INDICATED (1) SIGNIFICANTLY MORE GRADE-2 AND -4 STUDENTS OBTAINED HIGHER SCORES ON TEST A THAN ON TEST B (P .091);(2) GRADE-4 STUDENTS PERFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN GRADE-2 STUDENTS ON BOTH TESTS (P .01); (3) IN GENERAL, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT SEX -DIFFERENCES ON EITHER TEST WITHIN OR ACROSS GRADES.
    [Show full text]
  • Commemorative Meeting for Alfred Tarski Stanford University-November 7, 1983
    Patrick Suppes received his Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1950 at Columbia Univer­ sity, where he worked with Ernest Nagel. He has been at Stanford since 1950 and is now Professor ofPhilosophy and Statistics. Suppes' main research inter­ ests include the philosophy of science, theory of measurement, decision theory and probability, and computer-assisted education. He is a member of the Na­ tional Academy of Sciences. Jon Barwise received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1967 at Stanford University, where he .worked with Solomon Feferman. After teaching at U.C.L.A., Yale, and Wisconsin, he returned to Stanford as Professor of Philosophy in 1983. Barwise's main research interests include mathematical logic, especially model theory, set theory, and generalized re­ cursion theory; and applications of logic to the semantics of natural language. At Stanford, Barwise has been Director of the Center for Study of Language and Information, and is currently chairman of the Program in Symbolic Sys­ tems. Solomon Feferman received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1957 at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied with Alfred Tarski. He has been at Stanford since 1956, where he is Professor of Mathematics and Phi­ losophy. His research interests are in mathematical logic and the foundations of mathematics, especially proof theory and constructive and semiconstructive mathematics, as well as in the history of modern logic. Feferman is Editor-in­ Chief of the Collected Works of Kurt Godel; he is currently Chairman of the Department of Mathematics. Commemorative Meeting for Alfred Tarski Stanford University-November 7, 1983 PATRICK SUPPES, JON BARWISE, AND SOLOMON FEFERMAN, SPEAKERS INTRODUCTION The meeting was held in memory of Professor Alfred Tarski, who died at the age of 82 on October 28, 1983.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology 230 History, Systems, & Theories
    1 Psychology 230 History, Systems, & Theories Fall 2015 Class meets on Monday and Wednesday from 11:45am to 12:55pm in PPHAC 235 Overview: Historical origins of contemporary psychology, including structuralism, associationism, functionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt, and psychoanalysis, as well as recent developments in the field. Prerequisite: Psychology 120. Dana S. Dunn, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Hurd Academic Complex Room 231 Office phone: (610) 861-1562 E-mail: dunn@moravian.edu 2 Fall 2015 Office hours: Monday By appointment Tuesday 1:30 – 3pm Wednesday By appointment Thursday 1:30 – 3 pm Friday 8:30 – 10:30am Course Goals: 1. To introduce you to the historical development of the scientific study of psychology. 2. To show you where psychology fits in the history of ideas in Western thought. 3. To understand key issues, themes, and controversies that shaped (and continue to shape) the contemporary discipline. Required Books: Freud, S. (1989). On dreams. New York: Norton. Leahey, T. H. (2013). A history of psychology: From antiquity to modernity (7th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. Skinner, B. F. (1976). Walden Two. New York: Macmillan. Course Requirements 1. Class participation and attendance. This course requires constant attendance, active participation and critical discussion of the readings. I expect that you will attend each and every class, and that you will come prepared to talk about—and question—what you read. Class participation is worth 15% of your final course grade. Please note that I will be taking role, thus your absence from class will affect your participation grade (i.e., if you are not in class, you cannot contribute to discussion).
    [Show full text]
  • 14 Patrick Suppes
    14 Patrick Suppes Lucie Stern Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus Stanford University, USA 1. Why were you initially drawn to computational or in­ formational issues? I begin with some history. I am not sure just when I first thought about the use of computers for computation, but I do remember the late 1950s when Dick Atkinson and I were writing a book on applications of learning models and stimulus-response reinforce­ ment concepts to simple game situations. The book is full of ex­ tended computations supported by use of the I.B.M. 650 Com­ puter at Stanford, which was one of the very earliest made avail­ able to academic communities to have the possibility of going be­ yond the old days of computing with hand calculators. We say this in the preface of Suppes and Atkinson (1960): "Evan Linick has been indispensable in programming many problems for the I.B.M. 650 Computer at Stanford; we are also indebted to Richard Hill of the Western Data Processing Center for his cooperation." This brief acknowledgement is all we had to say about what was really a first, big-time, move into computing from my own standpoint. At that time, the only task was facilitating the many statistical estimates of parameters and the like for the models introduced in the book. It is important to realize how fundamental the change was in feasible applications of statistics with the introduction of digital computers in the 1950s. Even very simple formulations of linear-programming or linear-regression problems, that were prac­ tically unsolvable, could now be used to address all kinds of inter­ esting questions in theories of behavior and social interaction.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol 1 Ross A. Mcfarland Papers
    Ross A. McFarland Collection in Aerospace Medicine and Human Factors Engineering 1 Catalog of the Library Mary Ann Hoffman Fordham Health Sciences Library Wright State University School of Medicine Dayton, Ohio 1987 Fordham Library Publication No. 2 ©1987 Ross A. McFarland 1901-1976 CONTENTS Preface vi Introduction vii Acknowledgements ix Catalog 1 Vidéocassettes ИЗ Journals 114 Technical Reports Series 117 Name Index 119 Subject Index 146 PREFACE The Ross A. McFarland Collection in Aerospace Medicine and Human Factors Engineering at the Fordham Health Sciences Library, Wright State University School of Medicine, provides an unparalleled scientific resource and data base for physicians, life scientists, engineers and others working at the leading edge of human progress, especially those in the areas of aviation, space and advanced ground transportation. The Collection is regularly consulted by those currently pioneering these fields and is an invaluable source of information constituting the base upon which future progress is being constructed. I met Dr. McFarland in 1958 and came to know him -well. I observed first-hand his pioneering concepts in human factors, enhanced immeasurably by his articulate communications. Starting in the 1930's, he almost singlehandedly launched the human factors effort in aviation, directly collecting data on airline pilot fatigue and other major operational flight safety aspects. Folio-wing Dr. McFarland's untimely death in 1976, an event -widely recognized as taking from us the father of aerospace human factors, his wife, Mrs. Emily McFarland, decided to deed his library and scientific papers to Wright State University School of Medicine, Fordham Health Sciences Library. This gift consisted of more than 6,000 print items and approximately 400 linear feet of scientific manuscripts, unpublished reports, research data and correspondence, covering 50 years of professional work and research by Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Calculus for a New Century: a Pump, Not a Filter
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 300 252 SE 050 088 AUTHOR Steen, Lynn Arthur, Ed. TITLE Calculus for a New Century: A Pump, Not a Filter. Papers Presented at a Colloquium _(Washington, D.C., October 28-29, 1987). MAA Notes Number 8. INSTITUTION Mathematical Association of America, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO ISBN-0-88385-058-3 PUB DATE 88 NOTE 267p. AVAILABLE FROMMathematical Association of America, 1529 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 ($12.50). PUB TYPE Viewpoints (120) -- Collected Works - Conference Proceedings (021) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Calculus; Change Strategies; College Curriculum; *College Mathematics; Curriculum Development; *Educational Change; Educational Trends; Higher Education; Mathematics Curriculum; *Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Tests ABSTRACT This document, intended as a resource for calculus reform, contains 75 separate contributions, comprising a very diverse set of opinions about the shap, of calculus for a new century. The authors agree on the forces that are reshapinc calculus, but disagree on how to respond to these forces. They agree that the current course is not satisfactory, yet disagree about new content emphases. They agree that the neglect of teaching must be repaired, but do not agree on the most promising avenues for improvement. The document contains: (1) a record of presentations prepared fcr a colloquium; (2) a collage of reactions to the colloquium by a variety of individuals representing diverse calculus constituencies; (3) summaries of 16 discussion groups that elaborate on particular themes of importance to reform efforts; (4) a series of background papers providing context for the calculus colloquium; (5) a selection of final examinations from Calculus I, II, and III from universities, colleges, and two-year colleges around the country; (6) a collection of reprints of documents related to calculus; and (7) a list of colloquium participants.
    [Show full text]
  • William Kaye Estes Was Spread Upon the Permanent Records of the Faculty
    At a meeting of the FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES on November 6, 2012, the following tribute to the life and service of the late William Kaye Estes was spread upon the permanent records of the Faculty. WILLIAM KAYE ESTES BORN: June 17, 1919 DIED: August 17, 2011 William Kaye Estes, Daniel and Amy Starch Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, earned recognition early on as a member of a rare category containing those who exhibited both sterling personal leadership and outstanding intellectual contributions. His creative scholarship centered on learning theory, to which Harvard University’s own B. F. Skinner contributed in a major way. Many psychologists believed that the hard facts of learning theory needed a formal structure that could give rise to precise predictions. Bill Estes filled this need in 1950 in a classic paper, “Towards a Statistical Theory of Learning,” which described how organisms sampled the elements of a conditioning stimulus over successive trials so that, in time, the stimulus reliably evoked a conditioned response. Fred Skinner was not pleased that one of his best graduate students had abandoned the strict orthodoxy of behaviorism and theorized about mental events. Bill’s argument was so elegant it became one of the seedbeds for what evolved into the sub-discipline of mathematical psychology with a journal and a society founded in 1964 and 1977 respectively. Bill, along with Kenneth Arrow, Patrick Suppes, Richard Atkinson, R. R. Bush, and Duncan Luce, made pioneering contributions to many cognitive domains over a period spanning more than a half century. After spending his undergraduate and graduate years at the University of Minnesota and obtaining a Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Curricular Implications of Mathematical Concepts of the Preschool Child
    1 This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received 70-6763 DICKERSCHEID, Harold, 1927- CURRICULAR IMPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS OF THE PRESCHOOL CHILD. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1969 Education, theory and practice University Microfilms, Inc,, Ann Arbor, Michigan Copyright by Harold Dickerscheid 1970 CURRICULAR implications o f mathematical CONCEPTS OF THE PRESCHOOL CHILD DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Harold Dickerscheid, B.S., M.Ed. The Ohio State University 1969 Approved by Adviser College of Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer gratefully acknowledges his adviser, Dr, Paul R, Klohr, Curriculum and Foundations Faculty, for his insightful suggestions and critical analyses throughout the planning and writing of this study. Special acknowledgment is made to Dr, Nathan Lazar who gave impetus and encouragement to the study. Appreciation is extended to Dr, James K, Duncan for his time in reading and evaluating the manuscript. Gratitude is given to the staff and student teachers of the Campbell Hall Child Development Laboratory and to the children who participated in this study. Special thanks is given to Mrs, Donna Deichert, head teacher, and Mrs, Gretchen Batra, graduate assistant, for their cooperation with testing and observations. Thanks are also due to Mrs. Arlene Flocken and the children in her Head Start classes at Windsor School for their contribution. To my wife, Jean, and children
    [Show full text]
  • Mathematical Sciences Employment Register
    Program for the Annual Meeting in Cincinnati begins on page 20 Notices of the American Mathematical Society January 1982, Issue 215 Volume 29, Number 1, Pages 1-128 Providence, Rhode Island USA ISSN 0002-9920 CALENDAR OF AMS MEETINGS THIS CALENDAR lists all meetings which have been approved by the Council prior to the date this issue of the Notices was sent to press. The summer and annual meetings are joint meetings of the Mathematical Association of America and the Ameri· can Mathematical Society. The meeting dates which fall rather far in the future are subject to change; this is particularly true of meetings to which no numbers have yet been assigned. Programs of the meetings will appear in the issues indicated below. First and second announcements of the meetings will have appeared in earlier issues. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS presented at a meeting of the Society are published in the journal Abstracts of papers presented to the American Mathematical Society in the issue corresponding to that of the Notices which contains the program of the meet· ing. Abstracts should be submitted on special forms which are available in many departments of mathematics and from the office of the Society in Providence. Abstracts of papers to be presented at the meeting must be received at the headquarters of the Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on or before the deadline given below for the meeting. Note that the deadline for ab· stracts submitted for consideration for presentation at special sessions is usually three weeks earlier than that specified below. For additional information consult the meeting announcement and the list of organizers of special sessions.
    [Show full text]