Factors influencing arithmetic performance on the Tennessee State-Mandated Eighth Grade Basic Skills Test

The problem of this study was to identify discrepancies between (l) arithmetic operations included in major mathematics textbooks; (2) operations included in local curriculum guides; (3) operations teachers say they cover in grades one through eight in selected Tennessee school systems; (4) arithmetic operations included on the Tennessee State-Mandated Eighth Grade Basic Skills Test administered in the spring of 1978; and (5) the scores on that test.

A checklist was prepared from arithmetic operations included in the major mathematics textbooks used in Tennessee, local curriculum guides, the Tennessee State List of Competencies for the area of mathematics, and the Eighth Grade Basic Skills Test administered in the spring of 1978. This checklist was presented to l200 teachers across the state for them to check operations they felt they taught. Percentages were computed for the following:

1. Those operations included on the test that were taught and the scores on those operations.

2. Those operations included on the test that were not taught and the scores on those operations.

3. Those operations included on the test which were in the textbooks and the scores on those operations.

4. Those operations included on the test which were not in the textbooks and the scores on those operations.

5. Those operations included on the test which were in the curriculum guides and the scores on those operations.

6. Those operations included on the test that were not included in the curriculum guides and the scores on those operations.

The major findings of the research were that there seemed to be a great deal of agreement within grade levels about what operations were to be taught and that this agreement was greatest for those operations that were introduced at each grade level by the major textbooks. There were few curriculum guides available. Those that were supplied were apparently developed from textbooks. The curriculum guides seemed to follow the scope and sequence charts of the major textbooks and the teachers also seemed to follow these scope and sequences. The eighth grade basic skills test administered in the spring of 1978 was based entirely on computational skills. It was found that the textbooks were broadest in their coverage and that the coverage became increasingly narrow as one moved from the textbooks to the curriculum guides; to what teachers "taught"; to what was evaluated by the eighth grade basic skills test.

It was recommended that the Tennessee State Department of Education develop a curriculum guide for the area of mathematics. It was also recommended that the actual test be based on this curriculum guide.