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What are the effects on performance on university entrance exams and other high-stakes tests?
Use of graphics calculators on high-stakes tests has a positive effect on performance Studies by ACT and ETS of the two major U.S. college entrance exams concluded:
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| • | Use of calculators on high-stakes maths tests has a positive effect on performance at the secondary level. |
| • | Positive effects are greater for graphics calculators than for basic/scientific calculators |
| • | Positive effects tend to be greater for conceptual and computational skills than for operational or problem-solving skills |
| • | The size of the positive effect depends on: |
| • | - how the test is constructed |
| • | - use of calculators in the curriculum |
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| A review of Ellington’s meta-analysis of 54 high-quality experimental and quasi-experimental studies concluded that:
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| • | There are positive effects both for calculator use on tests and in teaching. However, one cannot separate the effects of curricular innovations made possible by calculators from a technology effect as such. |
| • | There were no reliable negative effects in any of the groups of studies. |
 Reference: (Roschelle and Gallagher 2005), SRI International
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