The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships that may exist among mean scores on the math and reading portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) of eighth grade gifted students of different gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Significant changes have been made to Georgia's gifted identification procedures over the last…

Compared performance of two polytomous item response theory models to that of the dichotomous three-parameter logistic model in equating tests composed of testlets using data from 6 tests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (samples of 537 to 680 eighth graders). Results of the equating method based on polytomous models produced results that more…

This study was conducted to investigate the dimensionality of language tests by means of latent variable models for categorical data. It differs from previous studies by conducting the analysis at the level of the original items using the structural modeling approach of B. Muthen (1984) for dichotomous and ordered polytomous variables. In this…

Studied whether eighth-grade reading scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills predict success on the five subtests of the Georgia High School Graduation Test. Findings for 102 high school seniors show that reading scores are statistically significantly related to all five subtests, with correlations ranging from 0.69 to 0.86. (SLD)

The average grade equivalent reading comprehension scores of students in Black schools are compared to those of students in White schools under two forms of test administration. Concludes that use of grade level testing with the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills is biased in favor of low scoring subgroups. (Author)

This study explores mathematics performance between boys and girls in terms of attitude toward mathematics and the average standardized scores in reading and mathematics between the 30th and 85th percentiles. Participants were 7th grade students from a private school in an urban area who registered in a course intended for students of average…

Two purposes of this study were to determine the relationship between scores on five scales of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) and academic success, and to ascertain the differential validity of the DOSC scales in comparing Mexican-American junior high school males and females. (Author/GK)

The first step of the data analysis with respect to the eventual application of the various new methods in latent trait theory is here initiated. The data are a set of approximately 500 item responses of each of 7,439 examinees to the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Form 6, on one of three difficulty levels, which correspond to the ages of 11, 12 and…

This study investigates the relationship between the length of the school year and student achievement on standardized tests. Achievement scores of students from two different school systems were analyzed. Comparisons showed that increasing the length of the school year would not produce marked change in test scored performance. (Author/JAZ)

A study examined the effect of extended use of computers on reading achievement. The study population consisted of 75 seventh-grade students at the J. N. Thorp Elementary School located in a predominantly low income socio-economic neighborhood of South Chicago. Of this total, 15 students were subjected to an intensive computer assisted instruction…

Two 50-item multiple-choice forms of a grammar test were developed differing only in humor being included in 20 items of one form. One hundred twenty-six (126) eighth graders received the test plus alternate forms of a questionnaire. Humor inclusion did not affect grammar scores on matched humorous/nonhumorous items nor on common post-treatment…

A study determined the relationship between life stress and reading comprehension test scores on the IOWA Tests of Basic Skills. Subjects, 41 middle-school students attending Lincoln School in Garwood, New Jersey, were surveyed as to the amount of life stress prevalent in their lives. In addition, the Iowa scores for reading comprehension were…

Research conducted in Georgia reveals that pupils in school buildings with modern facilities attain higher achievement than pupils in buildings with older facilities. All public schools in Georgia containing eighth grade students were classified as non-modernized, partially modernized, or modern according to results of questionnaires administered…

Financial stress brought about by economic changes in farm communities affects the academic achievement of young adolescents. This effect is mediated by the social support of parents and degree of dissonance in young adolescents relationships with parents. Young adolescents, mothers, and fathers from 105 farm and nonfarm families participated in…