This study analyzed the relative efficacy of normative (population relative) and ipsative (person relative) measures for the study of intraindividual and interindividual differences in child ability. Ipsative ability measures were found to be uniformly inferior to their normative counterparts and conveyed no uniquely useful information. (Author/DB)

Designed to provide information about people's listening and reading skills, this battery of tests provides information about how well an individual or group listens or reads in comparison to the young adult population used as a norm for this assessment battery. The battery was developed for use with youth and adult populations at or above 10…

Two pilot tests with fifth and sixth graders evaluated the Secondary School Admission Test for identifying academically talented students of elementary school age. Testing indicated that mean scores for eighth and ninth grade normative samples are recommended as cutoffs for identifying highly able fifth and sixth grade students. (Author/JDD)

This study of curriculum-based assessment of the reading ability of four elementary-level students with learning disabilities found that individual-referenced tests are powerful for understanding instructional effects, whereas norm-referenced tests are best suited for determining deployment and allocation of resources. (DB)

This article reviews the concept and derivation of age-equivalent scores as evidence for speech-language deficits. It presents arguments against the use of age-equivalent scores in case management decisions and recommends that, when used, a report include a clear explanation of their true meaning and other summaries of test performance. (Author/DB)

In response to growing frustration over the lack of information about the national effectiveness of the Chapter 1 program, Congress enacted the Education Amendments of 1974. Section 151 of the Amendments directed the U.S. Office of Education to develop evaluation models that would allow school district data to be aggregated to provide national…

The effectiveness of an Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1 program was studied in a large urban school district. A common problem in evaluating remedial programs is that pretest/posttest achievement gains often indicate the effects of the entire curriculum, rather than those specific to the remedial class. In this district, over…

Practical and technical advice is provided for staff responsible for planning evaluations of Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 migrant programs at the state level. The report is limited to evaluating achievement gains in basic skills; this is, however, acknowledged as only one facet of a comprehensive migrant program…