America's public education is often cited as an example of America's commitment to equality, yet it is supported primarily at the local government level, the level least able to further the redistribution of wealth. Data in the Coleman Report, misrepresented in the report itself as indicating that schools have little effect on the development of…

A manual for use in training French and Spanish language examiners at the Foreign Service Institute is presented here. After a discussion of the history of the language proficiency test and of the testing procedure and evaluation techniques, the following topics are covered: (1) language proficiency ratings based on the absolute criterion of the…

Five articles concerning college reading instruction are included in this special interest journal. Bill Fowler and Barry M. Kroll investigate hidden factors in tests of reading comprehension, revealing that most conventional tests have question-design weaknesses allowing students to perform successfully by the use of test wisdom alone. Imogene…

The Student's Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was developed in response to a need for a reliable and valid instrument to measure academic, rather than general, self-concept in elementary school children. This scale was designed for use with children in Grades 3 to 6. Descriptive data on the SPAS were discussed in terms of its substantive,…

A total of 373 teachers participated in a study designed to compare the reading attitudes, awareness, and abilities of elementary school and secondary school teachers. The subjects were administered four instruments to measure their reading abilities, reading habits, perceptions of the reading process (including perceptions of their own reading…

This literature review examines the influence of teacher gender on child behavior and development from nursery school through the later elementary school grades. Implications of social learning and cognitive theories of gender identification and development are explored, and several studies of the effects of male teachers on students, as well as…

The efficacy of second dentition, the number of erupted teeth, as an index in assessing school readiness was examined. A series of cognitive, achievement, and social-emotional instruments were administered to a group of 41 first- and 43 second-grade children. The tests used in this study were: Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale,…

Instruction in one eighth-grade history teacher's classes varied between use and nonuse of vocabulary recognition materials for difficult words to study the possible effect of such materials on test scores. The vocabulary recognition materials were used to augment four chapters of the history textbook that the students studied, while four chapters…

Extensive commitment to the remedial "tracking approach" over many years by the City Colleges of Chicago has not produced the desired outcomes. The results of several studies indicate that: student achievement in remedial courses has not resulted in improved performance in regular college courses; student and institutional retention is…

Sixty college students from classes in educational measurement were divided into two groups. Each group was administered the same criterion test except that one group received feedback after every item and the other received no feedback. The students were also divided into three ability levels. Each test item was classified two ways; by item…

Two focuses of a discussion of literacy and vocational competence should be the need for a more profound understanding of literacy and the relevance of that understanding for studying reading in vocational settings. A developmental model of the acquisition of literacy considers reading a second signaling system for speech. People who become…

Freshmen entering Indiana University in 1974 and leaving after two years but in good academic standing were surveyed in 1977. Those who were re-enrolled in an Indiana University System institution (57 students) were surveyed apart from the 303 students who had not re-enrolled. Academic and biographical information was gathered from school records.…

This paper focuses upon the early identification of children's needs as they enter school. Certain basic considerations are set forth. These include the influence of unstated assumptions upon the development of early identification procedures; the interaction of early identification procedures with teaching functions; the necessity to make early…

The validity of prediction equations based on American College Testing (ACT) Program test scores and high school grades is investigated. Presented are separate results for prediction equations based on ACT scores only, on high school grades only, and on both kinds of prediction jointly. Also included is a discussion of the relationship between…

From 1964-71, 323 pairs of twins and 740 age-matched controls born in 1954-55, were investigated. Compared to schoolchildren in 1880 and 1940 the children in the present study were taller, reached maturity earlier and passed through puberty faster. No differences between socioeconomic strata defined by father's occupation and family income were…