Examined age and gender differences in verbal skills and visuomotor skills at kindergarten, in achievement in reading and mathematics at Grade four, and the link between skills at kindergarten and later achievement. Readiness in auditory memory and verbal associations predicted later reading achievement while readiness in number skills and visual…

This study investigated differences in achievement among 487 inner-city, black fourth graders taught by 28 black, white, male, and female teachers. Data were obtained from these teachers during 1968-69 and again in 1969-70. Achievement data consisted of third- and fourth-grade scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and third-grade vocabulary…

This report describes the aggregated reading and mathematics performances of students in years 5 and 7 in urban Northern Territory (Australia) schools on the Primary Assessment Program (PAP) tests. The aggregated results are encouraging, with apparent gains in some reading tests over the preceding year, and no evidence of decline in the others.…

The objective of the present research was to investigate the effects of test-wiseness training on achievement. The study involved 208 Black, White and Hispanic students in grades three and five. An experimental training session was employed to test whether four aspects of test-wiseness (following directions, guessing, answer changing, and use of…

Used data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to model developmental trajectories across middle childhood. Found that individual trajectories were extremely diverse in level and sometimes in slope. Compared to girls, boys had heterogeneous slopes for math and behavior problems. Compared to boys, girls showed a significantly higher degree of…

While many studies have predicted elementary school achievement, few have investigated both cognitive and biographical predictors simultaneously in a multiple regression format. The present study used both types of variables in predicting achievement over a 20 month span. Criterion variables consisted of Stanford Achievement Test subscores, and a…

The Daviess County, Kentucky, PREPS research project focused on evaluating the county's 1979 summer school program. This program invited children to attend if they were functioning at least one year below their grade placement level. Learning activities were structured around specific behavioral objectives; the emphasis was on reading and…

Psychometric evaluation of 58 reading-disabled children, matched controls, and their nuclear families was employed to identify familial patterns of impairment in cognitive abilities. Certain types of genetic transmission or a combination of causes may be responsible for reading disability. (Author/GDC)

Results are reported from a study which compared the performance of boys and girls on both written spelling tests and proofreading-type standardized spelling tests. Findings indicate that girls, in general, spell better than boys in grades 1-6. (IAH)

Reading and math testing in inner London of 112 Black, 182 White children at end of primary school and 79 and 119 from this sample at age 11 found girls, especially Black girls, progressed more in reading in primary school; and boys progressed more in math initially, girls tended to catch up later, and Black boys fell behind. (SK)

Noting the general lack of research on handwriting instruction, a study examined hand and eye dominance, hand positions, and handwriting production of children. Subjects were 310 children from grades one through five in classrooms of regular children, mainstreamed team teaching classrooms, and self-contained gifted classes in a large elementary…

White children scored significantly higher than Black children on the reversals test, although predictive validity coefficients were substantial for both races. Sex differences tended to be minor and of little consequence. (Author)

Explored whether there were differences in IQ and achievement (at grades two, five, and seven) between students who delayed school entry and those who were retained in later elementary grades, as well as any interactions with gender. Concluded that instructional reform may be more effective for improving student success. (JBJ)

One thousand seven hundred sixty-seven elementary school students in Georgia were tested for motor performance and for reading and mathematics abilities. The finding that motor performance variables were significantly related to reading and mathematics abilities suggests that motor performance objectives should be included in elementary school…

This study investigated age trends in children's explanations of their own academic successes and failures. Ability attributions for success and failure in reading were more effectively predicted by reading attainment in older than in younger children. Perception of own attainment was more accurate in older children. Sex differences were also…