The primary aim of this study was to assess the relations between concurrent, cumulative, and contextual intradistrict school mobility and early reading achievement. Longitudinal administrative school records were used for an entire cohort of students in a large urban district from first through third grade. Findings indicated that students with a…

Poor literacy achievement among English learners has contributed significantly to their high dropout rates, poor job prospects, and high poverty rates. The National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth has suggested that English learners benefit from the same direct, systematic instruction in the five essential components of…

This study examines the effect varying models have on student understanding of fractions. The study addressed the question of what students know and understand about fractional concepts through the use of discrete and continuous models. A sample of 54 students in kindergarten and 3rd grade were given an interview pretest, participated in…

Current empirical evidence indicates poor learning trajectories for students with early literacy skill deficits. As such, reliable and valid detection of at-risk students through regular screening and progress monitoring is imperative. This study investigated the predictive validity of scores on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy…

Over many decades, the efforts of researchers to understand key issues in the reading performance of those children most at risk for developing later reading problems has been relentless. This article presents the author's commentary to three studies: (1) Vanderwood, Linklater, and Healy (2008); (2) Edl, Jones, and Estell (2008); and (3) Baker et…

A study examined the possible influence that pets may have on children's reading achievement. Subjects, 61 students from three third-grade classes in an urban school, completed a questionnaire about pet ownership. Responses were compiled and score values established to recognize the length of time the child had owned the pet and how much…

The long-term sustained impact of the Saginaw School District Chapter I Supplemental Teacher Participation (STP) program on third grade students during the 1979-80 school year was examined. A total of 256 students were classified into one of four categories: 1 year, 2 year continuous, 3 year continuous, and 2 year interrupted. Two different…

A pilot study was conducted on test item ambiguity in standardized tests. A group of second and third grade children were selected and given a random sample of items from four standardized test series. Items were drawn from the reading, science and social studies subtests and put together in a composite reading comprehension, science, and social…

The content validity of four reading achievement tests was evaluated with respect to third and fourth grade levels of the Pathfinder Allyn and Bacon Reading Program, using 29 third and 34 fourth graders. Instruments evaluated included subtests of the California Achievement Tests, Metropolitan Achievement Tests, Peabody Individual Achievement Test,…

Previous research has indicated that a student's attitude toward mathematics has a significant influence upon that student's level of mathematics achievement. Consequently, the promotion of positive student attitudes toward mathematics should be an important goal, not only for the educator, but also for the parents. The purpose of this study was…

This cross-sectional analysis explored (a) children's achievement performance, assessed by academic tests and measure of intelligence, (b) children's attitudes toward achievement, and (c) maternal attitudes toward independence training. Fifty-nine boys and fifty-five girls of high IQ and their mothers were subjects. Effective achievement…

The Maryland Accountability Program Annual Report has been developed as a reference document on test data for the public. It provides a survey both of test results and of the progress being made by students attending Maryland public schools in grades 3, 5, and 8. The 1980-81 report is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 defines educational…

The passage dependence of an item refers to the degree to which it is necessary to read the associated passage in order to be able to answer that item correctly. This paper studies the value of obtaining data about passage dependence in the construction of reading comprehension achievement tests. Passage dependence indices were examined in several…

This study investigates whether a linear factor analytic method commonly used to evaluate violation of the item response theory (IRT) unidimensionality assumption is sensitive to measurable curricular differences within a school district and to examine the possibility of differential item performance for groups of students receiving different…

The Maryland Accountability Testing Program Annual Report is a reference document on basic skills test data for the public, providing a survey of test results and the progress made by state students in grades 3, 5, and 8. Basic skills areas for these grade levels are covered, along with average grade equivalent scores. The California Achievement…