The study assessed teaching performance of 222 student-teachers from the Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University, posted to various secondary schools in Ekiti State for a six-week teaching practice during 2010/2011 academic session. The sample included 119 males, 103 females, 78 (300-Level) and 144 (400-Level) students. Data were collected using Teaching Performance Assessment Form designed by the Faculty of Education, Ekiti State University and analysed using frequency counts, percentages, item-total correlations and t-test comparison, tested at 0.05 level of significance. Results showed satisfactory teaching performance of the student-teachers while gender and previous teaching experience had no significant influence on teaching performance of the student-teachers. It was recommended that supervisors (of teaching practice/raters) should be thoroughly trained on the use of assessment instrument for reliable measurement of student-teachers' teaching performance.

The study made an investigation as to whether the study interest and school location of students have significant influence on the attitudes of secondary school students towards Mathematics. The population of the study consisted of all secondary school students in Ekiti State, Nigeria. 600 students comprising of 300 male and 300 female secondary school students were randomly selected for the study from 12 secondary schools in ten out of the 16 local government areas in Ekiti State, Nigeria. A 28-item attitude scale in Mathematics constructed and validated by the researcher was the instrument used. The items in the scale have discriminating power of 0.72 and above and item total correlation coefficients of 0.23 and above. The scale used has a construct validity coefficient of 0.29 using discriminant analysis and reliability coefficient of 0.81 using Cronbach reliability method. Two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Hypothesis one was tested using Students' t-test while hypothesis two was tested using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe's post-hoc test for pairwise comparison. The results of the analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the attitude of students from rural and urban setting towards Mathematics and that location did not influence the attitude of secondary school students towards Mathematics. The results also showed that study interest has significant difference on the attitude of students towards Mathematics and that study interest has influence on the attitude of secondary school students towards Mathematics. Therefore, it is recommended that efforts should be made by the teachers, parents and government to inculcate positive attitude of students towards Mathematics irrespective of their study interest.

This write up examines the use of psychological testing in diagnostic, formative and summative evaluation. Attempt was made to highlight some principles of psychological testing, types and advantages of formative and summative evaluation. It concludes by stating the counselling implications to the present day educational system in Nigeria.

Item Response Theory (IRT) is one of the most important developments in testing today. It then becomes necessary for all experts in tests, measurement, assessment and evaluation to be well-abreasted of this approach that builds on the concept of item analysis. This write up examines item response theory framework, its merits and demerits; and concludes that Nigerian psychometricians need and require skills and experience in the principle and assumption of IRT.