The purpose of this study was to analyze how school psychologists engaged in problem analysis during problem-solving consultation. Five aspects of the problem analysis process were examined: 1) the types of questions participants asked during problem identification, 2) the types of data participants requested, 3) the frequency of requests for each…

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) factor clusters of the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG) were studied with a group of gifted and nongifted individuals. Results found both groups display similar patterns of performance across the CHC factor clusters. Discusses clinical and educational considerations when using the WJ III…

Notes that accountability and efficacy have become increasingly important components of program standards. Presents program evaluation study designed and implemented by school psychologists which demonstrates a methodology for evaluating elementary-school-based counseling programs. The research demonstrates gains made by those referred for…

Details the development of a new objective self-report instrument--the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC)--for assessing the broad domain of internalizing symptomatology in children. Discusses results of a factor analysis and describes potential uses of the ISSC. Implications for future assessment in child psychopathology are…

Examined diagnostic validity of Part Two of the American Association on Mental Deficiency Adaptive Behavior Scales-School Edition (ABS-SE) for the classification of behavior disorder in elementary school students (N=66). Results indicated overall rate of correct classification was 71.21 percent; using factor scores, the level of correct…

Elementary teachers (N=209) completed questionnaires assessing attitudes toward preassessment procedures. Results indicated that teachers with over six years of teaching experience had significantly more negative attitudes toward preassessment than did teachers with under two years of experience. Teachers who had made referrals to preassessment…

Argues that assessment based on the content of a reading curriculum will not necessarily promote more effective instruction than one not so based. Focuses on reading ability, individual differences in the ability to read, instruction in reading, curriculum-based assessment of students' skill in reading, and assessment of comprehension. (RJM)

Discusses the use of a sentence completion instrument predicated on Lazarus' multimodal system. The instrument, entitled The Multimodal Sentence Completion Form for Children (MSCF-C), is designed to systematically assess client needs and assist in identifying intervention strategies. Presents a case study of a 12-year-old, sixth-grade student.…

Examined the relationships among academic, sociometric, and personality variables of 242 children who were selected by their teachers as having behavior problems, learning problems, learning and behavior problems, or no problems. Results were generally supportive of teachers' ability to distinguish between children with problems and children…

Used four-subtest short form of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised to develop efficient, simultaneous screening/assessment procedure for identifying gifted students for special programs. Estimated statistical relationship between subtest and full-test scores using test score data from 203 students. Found subtest score of 52 both…

Established local norms for the frequency of disruptive and unproductive classroom behaviors using a sample of 81 referred and 81 nonreferred elementary school students in grades kindergarten through five. For assessment purposes, frequency of behaviors (off task, talked out, out of seat, other behavior) was categorized by grade level. (Author/ABL)

Correlation between teachers' ratings of vocabulary, comprehension, mathematics, and verbal intelligence with scores from the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) plus the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was assessed with 120 boys and 110 girls aged 8.6 to 10.5 years in Melbourne. Results indicated two discrete domains of…

Explores extra-year placements for children considered at risk for early school failure before entering the first grade. Fourth-grade follow-up achievement outcome data of placed and nonplaced transitional extra-year school readiness samples indicate a nonsignificant standardized score difference, as noted in the second-grade findings. Study…

Full Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised evaluations have become a drain on school resources. A screening formula for gifted students, utilizing three WISC-R subtests, was evaluated using traditional epidemiological techniques. The screen correctly detected the majority of gifted students and could have major implications in terms of…

Investigated the effect of three formats of a rating scale on 11 teachers' effectiveness in identifying gifted students. Results suggested a behavior rating scale resulted in the greatest number of children being correctly identified. Nomination forms should be made sensitive to the specific population being screened. (JAC)