Visits in the Spring of 1972 to five school districts (Norfolk, Virginia; Texarkana, Arkansas; Gary, Indiana; Gilroy, California; and Grand Rapids, Michigan) that had implemented educational performance contracting programs during the 1970-71 school year are reported. Changes in the content and methods of instruction, measurement and evaluation,…

Four confusing issues that have delayed progress toward an awareness that testing is not a source of unfairness for minority students are discussed: (1) the assumptions underlying most of our psychometric manipulations are often not acknowledged or understood; (2) the extent of the objectivity of psychometrics is frequently exaggerated; (3) the…

The rationale for the development of the Primary Pupil Reading Attitude Inventory is presented. The process of developing, using, and subsequently revising the instrument is described. Findings from additional studies are then presented to provide further information about subtest and item characteristics of the instrument. Appendices contain…

Discusses the systematic assessment of student learning gains by means of pretest and posttest comparisons. This type of assessment is found to be a time consuming procedure but can be a valuable guide to teaching effectiveness when studied in conjunction with a questionnaire which provides feedback about students' opinions. (DB)

Compared the "hybrid" Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE) with the four original TUCE versions and found that the hybrid version is 1) "broader,""thinner," and less technical in terms of content coverage; 2) more reliable with a generally superior item analysis structure; and 3) slightly "easier" for students who have taken economics…

Examines the relationship between ability-grouping policies in British secondary schools and (1) pupils' reading and mathematics attainment at age 16 and (2) prospective public examinations entries. No significant relationship was found between ability-grouping policy and scores, but there was an indication that mixed-ability schools enter their…

A committee was charged to study the strengths and weaknesses of the AAHPER Youth Fitness Test and to prepare a position paper that would provide sound theory for the test's possible revision. (MM)

Briefly describes what is meant by the English examination system, how it has come to take the forms that it does, and why such importance is attached to it. Thereafter, some problems and developments in examinations in art and design education are considered with six examination proposals summarizing the aims of art and design studies. (Author/RK)

This research was concerned with a further exploration of the adolescent's capacity to think in formal terms about the consequences of suddenly changed circumstances depicted in literature. Implications for classroom learning are considered. (Author/RK)

Takes a critical look at the Assessment of Performance Unit's proposals for monitoring attainment in mathematics. (Editor)

School psychologists frequently are involved in assessment programs for children entering kindergarten. A comparison is made between screening and assessment related to norm-based and criterion-referenced assessment. (Author)

Just as the Grey Squirrel and the Little Owl were brought to England by well-intentioned enthusiasts so also are well meaning educational enthusiasts anxious to import attainment tests from America. In the former case the results were disastrous for ecology and this research stresses some of the lessons to be learned from the American experience…

In a series of experiments, it was found that asking questions about information in a prose sequence while it is being presented can affect the degree to which that prose material is stored as a unitized whole, and that this in turn will affect how well that prose is remembered. (Editor)

Competency-based graduation requirements provide students with a meaningful diploma, reduce illiteracy, and provide a system of quality control for schools. (Author)