EFFECTS OF CALCULATOR USE ON SCORES ON A TEST OF MATHEMATICAL REASONING

A sample of college-bound juniors from 275 high schools took a test co nsisting of 70 math questions from the SAT. A random half of the sampl e was allowed to use calculators on the test. Both genders and three e thnic groups (White, African American, and Asian American) benefitted about equally from being allowed to use calculators; Latinos benefitte d slightly more than the other groups. Students who routinely used cal culators on classroom mathematics tests were relatively advantaged on the calculator test. Test speededness was about the same whether or no t students used calculators. Calculator effects on individual items ra nged from positive through neutral to negative and could either increa se or decrease the validity of an item as a measure of mathematical re asoning skills. Calculator effects could be either present or absent i n both difficult and easy items.