This document contains a detailed listing of topics covered in the mathematics and reading portions of the 1973 Form S and the 1981 Form U of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS). Chages in the overall structure of the CTBS, new topics included in Form U and old topics not covered, and changes in the arrangement of topics across the…

Item bias, when present in a multiple-choice test, can be detected by appropriate analyses of the persons x items scoring matrix. Five related schemes for the statistical analysis of bias were applied to a widely used, primary skills multiple-choice test which was administered in either its English- or Spanish-language version at each of the two…

Single administration (beta-binomial) estimates for the raw agreement index p and the corrected-for-chance kappa index in mastery testing are compared with those based on two test administrations in terms of estimation bias and sampling variability. Bias is about 2.5 percent for p and 10 percent for kappa. (Author/RL)

A study compared the reading achievement of first grade students who attended half-day kindergarten to that of students who attended full-day kindergarten. Subjects, 67 students in urban Newark, New Jersey, who had attended half-day and 66 students who had attended full-day kindergarten, were given the first grade Comprehensive Tests of Basic…

A test of whether metacognition is a separate factor from cognition was conducted by measuring the effects of metacognitive factors in problem solving, while attempting to hold relevant cognitive factors constant. Learning disabled subjects were less skilled in metacognition with respect to knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition.…

Teacher judgments of student need for compensatory education were found to agree moderately with student scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS). Accuracy of teacher judgments was not influenced by student racial, ethnic, or economic characteristics, extent of individualization of instruction, or teacher training and experience.…

In this study 6,942 items from two standardized achievement test batteries--the Stanford (Early School Achievement Battery, Achievement Battery, and Test of Academic Skills) and the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills--were analyzed. Focus was on determining: (1) the extent to which these test batteries included general cognitive operations (GCOs)…

A study examined the effects of multi-age/grade instruction, compared to the traditional single-grade approach, on the reading achievement of fourth graders. Subjects, 22 fourth-graders in a single-grade class, were divided into instructional groups based on chronological age while the instructional grouping for 22 students in a combined fourth…

Through the nineteen-forties, fifties, and up to the mid-sixties, achievement test scores steadily increased. Since then, many test scores drop. The reported test score declines are more dramatic in recent years and most evident for higher grades. They are specially pronounced in verbal tests, but hold for nearly all tested areas. Specially:…

To determine the most accurate group-administered measure of reading achievement, a study explored variations of the cloze and maze procedures with second grade students who were native English speakers or who were being taught English as a second language. Subjects--108 second grade volunteers (1% American Indian, 49% Asian, 39.8% Black, 1%…

Value-added models, which rate schools for effectiveness while taking into account the poverty and other socioeconomic status of the students, are generating increased interest. This paper describes the use of one such model to evaluate whether school ratings changed when three new programs were introduced: the "Target Teach" curriculum…

A study compared an integrated language arts reading program and a strong phonics basal reading program. Subjects were first graders from five eastern Greenbrier County schools in West Virginia. The control group consisted of students in 15 classrooms, during the 1994-95 school year, when a strong phonics basal reading program was taught and…

Fifth in a series of studies examining reading discrepancies in Cleveland, Ohio public schools, this report analyzed the spring 1986-1987 reading data so that accurate and usable information and recommendations would be available to decision-makers for related planning, curriculum design, and implementation functions of the district. Students in…

The highlights of South Carolina's Statewide Testing Program, Fall, 1975 are summarized. Chapter one provides an overview of the report including the program's historical origins and changes that have occurred over the past five years as well as a delineation of the program's major objectives. Chapter two is concerned with ways in which the…

Discusses research to determine whether the methodology used in English-as-a-Second-Language classes affected scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Test results of students in a Los Angeles school district exposed to a comprehension-based approach were compared to those exposed to a grammar-based approach. (21 references) (CFM)