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A study was made to determine characteristics of teacher-composed classroom tests, with emphasis placed on describing the levels of knowledge addressed by the test items. In this preliminary investigation, 19 mathematics and 16 science teachers working in 4 high schools in a mixed suburban/rural school district were asked to: (1) complete a brief instrument describing the format, objectives, analysis, and uses of their tests as well as their level of confidence in their testing skills; and (2) supply the researchers with their most recently administered unit or quarter examination. A rating form was devised to analyze a sample of teacher-composed tests. Interrater agreement for a sample of the tests ranged from 90 to 100 percent. Teachers' perceptions of the levels of knowledge addressed by their test items were compared to the researchers' actual ratings by means of t-tests or mean differences with the alpha levels adjusted using Bonferroni's formula. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to examine the main effects of school and subject taught on the percentage of items addressing each level of knowledge. Results provide insights into teachers' perceived purposes for testing, construction of test items, cognitive levels tested, overall test presentation, and confidence in testing skills. Major weaknesses discovered include a tendency to test at low cognitive levels, flaws in construction of individual test items, and inadequate instructions. Study data are presented in seven tables. (TJH)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert