Estimation Skills, Mathematics-in-Context, and Advanced Skills in Mathematics: Results from Three Studies of the National Assessment of Educational Progress 1996 Mathematics Assessment

This report presents information from three special studies conducted as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1996 mathematics assessment. It is intended primarily for mathematics educators and others concerned with mathematics education, such as curriculum specialists, teachers, and university faculty in schools of education. The three studies reported here were designed to provide greater detail on how students perform on particular types of mathematics questions. Studies include the Estimation Study, the Study of Mathematics-in-Context, and the Study of Students Taking Advanced Courses in Mathematics. The first study was designed to explore students' skills in estimation and was implemented at three grade levels. It concludes that although there has been significant improvement in mathematics performance overall since 1990 at all grade levels, the trend for student performance in estimation over the six years since the inception of the Estimation Study of 1990 is less clear. The second study was designed to assess problem-solving abilities within contexts that allow students to make connections across mathematics content areas. The Advanced study was administered at grades 8 and 12 and was designed to provide students who were taking or had taken advanced courses in mathematics an opportunity to demonstrate their full mathematical proficiency. (Contains 71 tables and figures.) (ASK)