This interview and observational study examined differences in the behavior of teachers and students in high- and low-ability reading groups within 20 kindergarten and first grade heterogeneous classrooms, to determine if intraclass ability grouping interferes with the academic development of low-income and minority students. (PN)

Using a best evidence synthesis model, this book reviews research conducted in primary/elementary and secondary schools in the United States and in Great Britain on setting and streaming (ways of grouping pupils according to ability). The review concludes that research provides no evidence that student achievement at the primary/elementary school…

Eight highly structured fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms were compared with seven less structured classrooms with respect to the degree to which teachers', classmates', and self ratings of ability to read were in agreement. It was suggested that classroom structures may effect perceptions of ability. (CTM)

Undergraduates rated their affective reactions to hypothetical test performances under four success conditions. Then, in the role of teachers, they administered rewards to hypothetical students under identical conditions. Both positive self-evaluation and teacher praise were greatest when success followed effort. Perceptions of ability also…

Six experiments investigated the informational value of praise and criticism. Praise after success and neutral feedback after failure led to perceptions that an acting person's ability was viewed as low. Neutral feedback after success and criticism after failure led to perceptions that an acting person's ability was viewed as high. (Author/RD)

This study investigated pre-test scores and number of items correctly answered on a programed lesson as predictors of post-test scores. Students studied either an expository lesson, a programed lesson with minimal instructional support, or a programed lesson with maximal instructional support. Results did not support an aptitude-treatment…

A program for high-risk students at Eastern Oregon State College is described. Identification, prescription, follow-up, and evaluation of the target population are discussed. The results of the program are not dramatic but it is felt that efforts need to be intensified. (MLW)

The potentially gifted (those who could achieve excellence under the right conditions) as well as those who are conspicuously talented need support. Three traits to look for in gifted students are: above average general ability, task commitment, and creativity. (CJ)

Criticism has been made of continuing to increase expenditures of funds to assist the economically disadvantaged and the handicapped. Past decades have seen discrimination against "gifted" children due to a fear of creating an "elite." Recent federal funding has begun to create special programs for gifted children. (JN)

Results indicated the degree to which the cognitive performance of classes and individuals was influenced by the combination of student ability and anxiety aptitudes, and teacher structuring and demand for student participation. Four aptitude-treatment interactions were found; these were consistent with prior research. (Author/CP)

This lengthy study analyzed cognitive, behavioral, and family background variables in boys, age 6-7 and 10-11, from socially handicapped families. (Note: Page f. . .=fiche number.) (CP)

Suggests that intellectual ability is a stronger determinant of academic success than family income, parental education, or socioeconomic status. Maintains that familial influence plays an important role in academic achievement but questions the specifics of that relationship. Includes statistical information on grade variation, siblings, and…

A study focused on identifying the academic characteristics of 21 children and youth who have Asperger syndrome. Students had an extraordinary range of academic achievement scores, extending from significantly above average to far below grade level. Lowest achievement scores were shown for numerical operations, listening comprehension, and written…

Explores ways in which public schools, which are supposed to be universally accessible moral communities, engage in patterns of systematic exclusion. Presents three case studies of secondary schools in which issues of exclusion of groups of students have arisen concerning ideologies of merit, choice, and tradition. (JS)

The recent emphasis on content-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction is motivated by research showing that English proficiency does not correlate with academic success. Case studies of 15 ESL students in content classes suggest that a lack of academic success may be the result of a lack of effective academic skills. (Author/VWL)