Community college students are often placed in developmental math courses based on the results of a single placement test. However, concerns about accurate placement have recently led states and colleges across the country to consider using other measures to inform placement decisions. While the relationships between college outcomes and such…

Remediation is one of the largest single interventions intended to improve outcomes for underprepared college students, yet little is known about the remedial screening process. Using administrative data and a rich predictive model, we find that severe mis-assignments are common using current test-score-cutoff-based policies, with…

The present study investigated the predictive validity of the DIAL-3 kindergarten screening tool. Participants consisted of 178 students from a suburban school district located in northern Westchester County. Chi squared analyses and T-tests were used to compare DIAL-3 scores to later performance on New York State English Language Arts and…

The prominent use of DIBELS as a screening and placement tool has provided schools and districts the ability to implement interventions and best practices for students, particularly in the primary grades. Although many studies have highlighted the predictive validity of oral reading fluency (ORF) to anticipate reading performance, few have…

At an annual cost of roughly $7 billion nationally, remedial coursework is one of the single largest interventions intended to improve outcomes for underprepared college students. But like a costly medical treatment with non-trivial side effects, the value of remediation overall depends upon whether those most likely to benefit can be identified…

Examined the effectiveness of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Revised) as a screening instrument for gifted children. Although the PPVT-R may be useful as a screening measure with a general population, it offered little incremental effectiveness as a screening measure with a restricted range of ability. (Author/JAC)

The study hypothesized that scatter analysis of the three subtest scale scores on the Meeting Street School Screening Test (gross motor patterning, visual-perceptual-motor, and language) given at the beginning of first grade would prove to be a more accurate predictor of future placement in a learning disabilities program than the cut-off total…

Early screening programs to determine learning problems in preschool children are evaluated. A review of early identification literature indicates considerable difficulty in describing screening results and determining when a screening program accurately identifies those students believed to be "at risk." The authors propose several…

Compared beginning kindergarten subtest scores on Vane Test of Language and Vane Kindergarten Test to Metropolitan Achievement Test Scores in reading and math, Otis-Lennon School Ability Test Index, and placement into special education or high achievement programs following second grade. Results revealed effective predictability of the screening…

Discussed the predictive index developed from the Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory which aids in identifying both gifted children and those in need of remedial help. Elementary school students (N=64) selected for a gifted program were studied. Results showed gifted children can be discriminated with reasonable accuracy. (JAC)

Two measures used for early detection of learning problems (Preschool Screening System and Denver Articulation Screening Exam) were tested for their predictive validity. Educational placement at the end of grade one was examined and compared to pre-kindergarten test scores on the two measures. Analysis found both measures to be valid. (Author/MSE)

All variables except the Slosson Intelligence Test were poor predictors of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) intelligence scores. A moderate correlation was found between verbal and full scale IQ scores and a lower relationship between performance IQ scores on the two scales. Results may be culture specific. (Author/JAC)

Slosson Intelligence Test scores are the best predictor of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) (WISC-R) IQ scores. But they are often higher than WISC-R scores and increasingly verbally weighted. A skilled teacher's classroom observation is as valid an indicator of need for in-depth assessment as screening tests. (JAC)

Describes a study to determine whether traditional paper-and-pencil tests or new computer-adaptive tests were better suited for assessing entering students at Santa Fe Community College, Florida. Focuses on teachers' attitudes toward computerized placement tests (CPTs), relationships between CPT scores and course grades, predictive ability of CPT…