I would be happy to send this message to Dr. Nontas
Konstantakis, from the the Educational Testing Service.
Please poste his e-mail address.
Dear Dr. Konstantakis:
Quite by accident I happen to see your reply to a physics
teacher, Arlyn DeBruyckere. It was about the analogy
test item #6. I agree with you that the mistake was not serious
enough to invalidate the test and that it is very common. In
your place, however, I would thank the teacher and would
admit that it was a regrettable overlook not to be repeated.
Yes, many people are ignorant about the distinction between
the mass and the weight but you know better.
Who are you trying to defend? Knowing how unhappy the
science teachers are when students confuse mass with weight,
and how hard they work to correct the confusion, I would be
on their side and would promise to eliminate the confusing item.
What prevents you, for example, from replacing the word
gram by the word pound (in the future versions of the test)?
Ludwik Kowalski
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ, 07043
kowalskiL@mail.montclair.edu