For decades there have been attempts to develop tests that are fair to people from different backgrounds. The Fundamental Achievement Series (FAS) is a recent attempt to develop a test that is fair to those considered disadvantaged. In addition to the traditional kinds of items, the FAS incorporates relevant items, tapping verbal and numerical…

A study was conducted in Jalapa, Mexico, to test the hypothesis that a student of average and below average language aptitude may have greater difficulty with the accelerated pace of learning in an intensive program. The Modern Language Association Cooperative Spanish Test was administered to the eight beginning students enrolled in the Jalapa…

The prerequisites of language acquisition are cognitive and pragmatic. The child's conceptual development and social needs direct his attention to particular linguistic forms. These provide an efficient selection device enabling the child to match his language learning task with his abilities. The second language learner who is cognitively and…

This report provides a historical overview of curriculum development in the public schools of Washington, D.C. Investigation of the pre-emancipation period (1804-1864) shows that curriculum focused on the development of basic skills, moral values, and employment skills. During the period of the dual school system (1864-1954), when public education…

In fall 1981, a survey of students enrolled in the 27 community colleges in Washington was conducted to determine student background characteristics and educational objectives, self-ratings of abilities, types of college courses taken, types of learning activities participated in during particular courses, reasons for and for not enrolling in…

The educational system known as Individually Guided Education (IGE) will become increasingly important as schools enter a period of retrenchment in the 1980's. Four factors necessary for basic skills achievement can be achieved through the use of IGE: (1) strong leadership by the school principal; (2) time spent in direct instruction by the…

Trends in academic performance from 1961 to 1979 for entering freshmen at Georgia State University were examined. Verbal and mathematics scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school average (HSA), and freshman grade point average (GPA) were analyzed. It was found that SAT verbal and mathematics scores remained generally stable; over…

Focusing on clothing, this module is one of eight included in the Vocational Education Readiness Test (VERT). The module begins by listing the objectives of the module and describing tools and equipment needed. The remainder of the module contains sections on manipulative skills, trade vocabulary, tool identification, trade computational skills,…

As a preschool screening instrument, the Preschool Preposition Test (PPT) can play an important role in the early identification of cognitive delay. PPT scores increase appropriately with chronological age. Cognitive data demonstrate impressive correlations with recognized intelligence tests (the Stanford-Binet and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: children's sociolinguistics skills, ability to sequence verbal expressions, analogical abilities, and learning and application of the principle for nouns; Basil…

The main goal of this book is to enable examiners to use the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities as a clinical tool for evaluating preschool and primary-grade children. However, before an examiner becomes too concerned with issues relating to test interpretation, he or she should first understand thoroughly certain basic considerations.…

The first set of National Longitudinal Study (NLS) data was analyzed to derive composite scores to be used in subsequent analyses. The composites include a general ability measure, a socioeconomic status (SES) index, and factor scores from factor analyses of sets of question items measuring goals, attitudes, and other psychological attributes. The…

The interest of the psychologist in bilingualism from its origins in the early 1900's to the present is traced. Bilingualism and intelligence are discussed as well as some recent studies on bilingualism and cognitive development. Several areas where psychologists may provide valuable insights into the process of becoming bilingual are discussed…

This study was designed to outline possible forms of guided self-assessment in adult language learning and to suggest steps that might be taken in order to further develop methods judged to be suitable for use within the European unit/credit scheme for foreign language learning by adults. The report includes a review of relevant literature and…

This study investigated whether young, poor, inner-city children are deficient in the mathematical skills and concepts necessary for later success in school arithmetic. Children of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age, black or white, and lower class or middle class, were given a wide variety of mathematical tasks, including Piagetian measures,…