The purpose of this study was to compare the use of WebQuests with traditional instruction. Specifically, the study examined the end-of-unit exam scores for students who completed a WebQuest on the Texas Revolution and those students completing a poster activity. Both of the instructional activities were implemented as additional enhancement to…

Latent trait measurement theory was used to investigate the measurement characteristics of both parts of a multiple-choice measure of field-independence, the Finding Embedded Figures Test (FEFT). Analysis was based on data provided by 1,528 students enrolled in one of two middle schools located in the southern United States. Of the subjects, 731…

This study evaluates a 1-year, pre-vocational intervention--Project OASES (Occupational and Academic Skills for the Employment of Students)--for at-risk middle school students in the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public School District. The study sample consisted of 502 former participants and 148 active participants (1988-1989 school year) plus…

Two major issues related to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are explored: (1) the roles and responsibilities of federal and state education agencies in reformulating NAEP to facilitate comparisons among states; and (2) problems and solutions in aligning or accounting for differences between national assessment objectives and…

Since 1971, nearly four million adults have qualified for a high school equivalency credential based on General Educational Development (GED) test results. During Spring 1980 two major studies were undertaken by the GED Testing Service: (1) the U.S. High School Norming Study involving the administration of the GED Tests to a representative sample…

This study was designed to examine the extent to which Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) constructing meaning scores correlate with Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) reading scores and with performance on ITBS items dealing with literal meaning, inferences, and generalizations. In addition, this study assessed the ability of the IGAP reading…

A comparison is presented of alternate-choice and true-false item forms used in an undergraduate natural science course. The alternate-choice item is a modified two-choice multiple-choice item in which the two responses are included within the question stem. This study (1) compared the difficulty level, discrimination level, reliability, and…

This progress report describes the development and field testing of the School Mastery of Reading Test (SMRT). The SMRT was administered in May 1986 to 889 fourth graders in nine schools in Brooklyn, New York. Counts of students tested in each school and school profile data are provided. Machine scoring procedures are detailed, and results…

Test scores were compared for two types of objective achievement tests--multiple choice tests and the recently developed Multi-Digit Test (MDT) procedure. MDT is an approximation of the fill-in-the-blank technique. Students select their answers from long lists of alphabetized terms, with each answer corresponding to a number from 001 to 999. The…

Findings of two studies which examined the identification of prekindergarteners with potential learning problems are presented. The first was a pilot study, in which a short screening device and a parent questionnaire were administered to a large, randomly-selected sample. In the second study, these instruments were validated against extensive…

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…

THREE HEAD START PROGRAMS WERE ESTABLISHED TO INVESTIGATE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FOUR GROUPS OF CHILDREN IN THE AREAS OF INTELLIGENCE, COGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENT, ENVIRONMENT, AND PARENTAL EXPECTATIONS. THE FOUR GROUPS WERE (1) THE SR GROUP IN WHICH THE CHILDRENS' PARENTS SOUGHT OUT ENTRY FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN THE HEAD START PROGRAM, (2) THE SAP…

THIS REPORT OF AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH ALLIANCE OF TWELVE COUNTRIES EXPLAINS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES OF RESEARCH AND QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. RESEARCH INSTITUTES FROM TWELVE COUNTRIES ORGANIZED THE COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT FOR THE EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL…

Four new versions of an acoustic structuring test were developed, administered, and analyzed in order to produce better tests and to contribute to better understanding of the abilities measured by these tests. The tests consist of tape recordings of patterns of musical notes played on an electric organ or an acoustic guitar. Item analyses and…

This study compared the ability of the ACT Assessment Battery (ACT), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and six other variables to predict first semester Grade Point Average (GPA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a "highly selective midwestern university". Additional purposes were to determine: (1) the effect of using…