This practicum was designed to improve the process used to identify kindergarten and first-grade children who are at risk for academic failure and may need to be referred for a comprehensive special education evaluation. Prior to the practicum, the screening process consisted of a curriculum-based readiness measure which failed to identify…

A study was performed at the College of the Canyons, in Valencia, California, to compare the perceptions of students in basic skills courses with those of their teachers regarding the appropriateness of the recommended course placement in English as a Second Language (ESL), basic English, and basic math. A 10-question student survey and a…

This journal issue focuses on the theme of the education of gifted female students. This document consists of the five articles devoted to this subject. The lead article by Carolyn M. Callahan, titled "How Schools Shortchange Girls: Implications for Parents and Educators of Gifted Girls," discusses the development of gender roles, the experiences…

Each spring, the New York City Public Schools conduct evaluations of first-graders to determine which students are in need of remedial reading and mathematics programs. A new measure was designed to be more reliable than the multiple-choice, standardized tests used previously. A checklist of 20 items relating to language arts, reading, and…

Intellectually gifted children from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as varying levels of risk were evaluated to determine the effect of risk on gifted children when intelligence level has been controlled. Each of 7,323 children from six ethnic backgrounds had achieved a standardized intelligence test score (Wechsler Intelligence…

A project was conducted to determine whether vocational interest and ability measures can help high school students identify vocational education programs in which they will experience satisfaction and success. Six Career Planning Program (CPP) interest measures and 15 ability measures were administered to 2,101 seniors in 19 area…

This publication provides Maine school administrative unit personnel with guidelines to implement procedures for identifying gifted and talented children. Legislative requirements are presented on the left-hand pages and suggested guidelines for implementing the requirements are on the right-hand pages. Requirements and guidelines are organized…

Research was conducted to determine the effect of changing occupational specialties on the performance of Air Force retrained enlistees attending basic technical schools. The academic performance and attrition rates of approximately 20,000 retrainees and 230,000 nonprior-service enlistees (nonretrainees) attending 272 schools were compared.…

Abstracts of 11 mathematics education research studies are provided. Each abstract is accompanied by the abstractor's analysis of or comments about the study. Studies reported include: "The Importance of Spatial Visualization and Cognitive Development for Geometry Learning in Preservice Elementary Teachers"; "Classroom Ratio of High…

The value-added approach to the assessment of student outcomes examines actual or inferred changes in students' performance over time. It also attempts to separate the net effects of instruction from previous ability or simple maturation. Others may have different definitions of this concept, and this vagueness causes problems. Suggested ways to…

This digest explains basic elements of standardized tests in order to help teachers in making students feel comfortable about taking such tests. Usually created by commercial publishers, standardized tests are designed to provide a common measure of students' performance. They help compare an individual student's performance with the performance…

The relatively long-term effects of temperament on classroom achievement were studied in a cohort of elementary students while accounting for variation in cognitive ability, previous achievement, and gender. The existence of long-term effects would support the hypothesis that indirect genetic effects on learning are mediated by temperament.…

This annotated bibliography contains 33 references related to the topic of individual difference correlates of second-language achievement found in 26 journals available in the University of Western Ontario, and follows up a 1988 bibliography covering the years 1984-1987. Bibliographic information provided includes author, title, source, abstracts…

This study investigated the relationship of several affective variables as predictors of academic performance in mathematics. The predictor variables studied were: (1) attitude toward success in mathematics; (2) confidence in learning mathematics; (3) perceptions of teacher attitude; (4) mathematics anxiety; and (5) locus of control. The sample of…

This paper explores some of the issues involved in developing an index of functional literacy that can serve diagnostic purposes. In 1985, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett outlined principles for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including a principle calling for NAEP to "develop an index of functional literacy…