Cumulative school records kept on children generally contain only standardized test scores and random notes concerning conduct, yet some theorists suggest that one of the most powerful tools of assessment is teachers' daily observation. To determine teachers' capability for evaluating their students' reading, a study examined teachers' informal…

The goal of the Columbus Public Schools' instructional aide program is to provide an educational support program for underachieving pupils in kindergarten and first grade. The evaluation was based on objectives addressing gains in reading achievement and staff development for the aides. The evaluation design provided for the collection of data in…

This study was designed to determine the effect class size had on the reading achievement of first grade students. During a review of the literature, identified studies were analyzed for evidences of impact on student reading achievement, the instructional program, operational expenditures, and classroom space. The Virginia Beach research study…

A study examined high and low achieving readers' performance with six phonic generalizations, using real and nonsense words. Eighteen first and second grade students were divided into higher level and lower level readers on the basis of their scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Three real words and four nonsense words for each of the six…

To determine the relationship between particular reading materials used most frequently with students in grades one through six and the amount of progress students made during the 1982-83 school year, a study was conducted by the District of Columbia Public Schools. Nine of the ten reading materials on the approved textbook list were assessed, and…

A study was conducted to assess the emphasis that elementary school teachers place on teaching vocabulary. The survey, distributed to 359 teachers in 7 school districts around the country, was completed by 228 teachers of grades one through five. Questions were directed at vocabulary instruction within the reading program as well as within the…

In 1980, the Office for Minority Education of the Educational Testing Service sponsored a conference to explore the theme of fostering excellence for minority public school students. Each of the papers included in this book provides a different perspective on the conference's theme. Stephen J. Wright gives an extensive look at the evolution of…

Sixty seventh and eighth grade students participated in a study that investigated students' viewpoints and attitudes toward reading and the relationship of each of these to their reading achievement. The reading ability of the subjects was determined by scores on the reading subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test, and attitudes toward reading…

To determine the effect of parental influence on students' reading achievement, a study surveyed parents of two eighth grade classes from two different middle schools in an urban area. The 18-item survey consisted of general information regarding parents and their children, and dealt with the parents' outlook on reading and their interpretation of…

A study (conducted in suburban central New Jersey using 218 second graders' California Achievement Test (CAT) scores from 1986-1988 compared the effectiveness of two well-known reading programs. Results indicated that although there was no statistically significant difference in the scores, the mean difference suggested that children who were…

Research studies investigating group differences in academic achievement consistently document lower scores for blacks than for whites, who typically score about one standard deviation above their black counterparts. Many controversial explanations for black achievement deficits have been advanced, ranging from cultural deprivation to inferior…

This study examined the relationship between test results of students in PRIMETIME first-grade classrooms in Indiana, and the Smith and Glass (1979) class size/achievement model. The class size/achievement model shows the results of a meta-analysis of research on class size which indicated that as class size decreases, achievement increases. The…

This report describes the development and norming of parallel forms of the Air Force Reading Abilities Test (AFRAT) which have been designed for Air Force use as replacements for commercial reading tests. A previous study on service applicants found considerably divergent reading grade levels (RGL's) from different commercial tests for subjects of…

The purpose of this study was to (1) ascertain the perceptions of teachers using volunteer aides and (2) to investigate the effect of the use of volunteer aides on student achievement when comparing anticipated achievement with actual academic achievement. The population included elementary school teachers and 169 student from 2 elementary schools…

The reciprocal relationship between self concept and academic achievement was investigated using a two-wave, two-variable, multiple-indicator design. The Self Observation Scales (SOS) and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) were used to measure self concept and academic achievement, respectively. A sample of second grade children and their families…