The scores of 1,907 entering freshmen on the Survey of Reading Achievement (advanced grades 9-12) were examined in the fall of 1976 at Los Angeles City College. Important findings included: (1) a 10th grade median reading level; (2) slightly better performance by males; (3) an average of 9.5 grade level for first-time enrollees (71%); (4) a…

The Mink Scale is designed to differentiate between potential dropout and non-dropout students at the junior high school level. Items of the scale represent social, psychological, and educational factors established in previous dropout studies. A pilot study in five Appalachian counties compared scale responses for 189 (dropouts) former students…

The purpose of this study was to develop a test that could be used both to diagnose student writing needs and to evaluate the effects of classroom teaching on the abilities of secondary school-junior college students to write expositorily. Data analysis was organized to indicate the extent to which a carefully designed objective test could validly…

The purpose of this presentation is to report on a study undertaken by the author to asses teachers' social perceptions of dialectal differences among junior high school males. Male and female teachers judged the academic ability and school behavior of three black and three white male student speakers representing upper-middle-class, middle-class,…

This article discusses methods of teaching poetry and composition to German speaking elementary-school students in Switzerland. One effective device for treating poetry is enactment; children practice acting, declamation, pantomime, and narration while learning the poem. Another device is choral speaking with individually assigned roles, which…

Evaluations of compensatory educational programs reveal that Black and Chicano school children do relatively less well the longer they remain in school. This investigation sought to determine the extent to which this regression is attributable to contemporary evaluation methodology. Analysis was conducted of the impact of standardized achievement…

Based upon 1969-70 ESEA Title I entitlements, this report represents an analysis of cost factors of the 25 largest school districts in California in effectively implementing compensatory education programs in both reading and mathematics in four or more grade levels. Numerous statistical data are given. Some districts reported a month-for-month…

Rasch calibration permitted the development of short achievement tests that were economical in testing time, and could be developed in a series of difficulty levels to suit student individual differences. Furthermore, these tests were of adequate reliability for practical educational measurement when individual students were assigned to tests of…

The System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) is designed for use in a culturally diverse society. The system was developed on 700 English-speaking caucasian children (hereafter called Anglos) from the anglo core culture, 700 black children, and 700 Latino Children (90 percent were of Mexican-American heritage) five through eleven…

The experiences of children are affected by both their ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Black children's performance in school reflects the group's marginality. The following issues affect the child's educability: (1) double stratification; (2) psychological risk; (3) adaptational processes; and (4) the relationship between psychological health…

This meta-analysis of 49 comparative studies shows that mastery testing has positive effects on student learning, but the size of effect depends on the stringency of the criterion used and the degree of experimental control. The effects of instructional time, student attitudes, and differences in ability levels are also addressed. (Author/LRW)

Surveys recent literature on computer programing focusing on psychological studies of the programing task and selected instructional issues related to precollege programing. The cognitive demands and outcomes of programing, the influence of instruction on learning, and individual differences in outcomes of programing are specifically addressed.…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Prevails in Cutting Education Below Senate Bill and the President's Request: Final FY2005 Education Budget…

Bernstein's theory of the relationships among social class, language "codes," family/school social structures, and school success is discussed, as is Labov's rejection of the "verbal deficit" concept. A relevant experiment is described. (Available in microfiche from: Carfax Publishing Company, Haddon House,…

A study of the attitudes toward cooperative learning of academically gifted students and their cohorts, with data obtained from 28 sixth- through eighth-grade classes, supported the finding that overall attitudes of gifted students toward school subjects were most positive in classes where cooperative learning was used sparingly, in contrast to…