Blacks are more likely than whites to use the extreme response categories in Likert-type questionnaire items. This general tendency has important implications for Black-white comparisons along self-esteem dimensions. (Author)

Three levels from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) standardization sample were randomly selected and their subtest score intercorrelations were subjected to factor analysis. The analyses yielded minor inconsistencies which suggest the instrument does not primarily measure simultaneous and sequential processing and achievement as…

Rising state standards and competency testing of entering teachers is resulting in a numerical decline in Black candidates who are ill equipped due to weak programs in the secondary schools. A comprehensive program at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff to provide both educational equity and educational improvement is described. (BS)

The author calls for a tough national teacher examination to make teaching a genuine profession, to convince the public to pay teachers what they're worth, to empower teachers to make educational decision, to attract the best and brightest, and to ensure high quality education. Problems and prospects are discussed. (BS)

This researcher discusses what he has learned about the field of program evaluation and makes three observations: (1) Testing does not define key objectives in evaluation. (2) Politics influences what clients want to know. (3) Case studies are necessary for epistemological reasons. (LMO)

Analyzes three scenarios featuring champion educators' efforts to challenge business-as-usual predilections of school administrators. School systems can develop innovative, future-directed programs with effective planning, administrative support for creative teachers, and testing for results that match school values. (MLH)

A study of 12- to 14-year-olds was conducted to investigate which components of spatial ability may be dependent on general cognitive functioning level and to compare possible differences in carrying out certain spatial operations in children of equal intelligence, but who are not specifically gifted for mathematics or visual arts. (MBR)

The origins, facilities, structure, progress, and future prospects of Nigeria's University of Benin optometry program, the first of its kind in Black Africa, are described. (MSE)

Examines the evolution of reading comprehension in English classrooms and examination rooms and considers active and collaborative approaches to teaching reading comprehension. (HOD)

Library circulation records for five years in one Hawaiian elementary school were analyzed to discover patterns according to sex and grade level; identify titles, subjects, and types of books circulated; and determine circulation of Hawaiiana and books about Asia. Bibliography of 129 titles mentioned in text is included. (11 references) (EJS)

At the request of governing boards and legislatures, increasing numbers of state colleges and universities are using "value-added" tests and surveys to measure student learning in college. The measures compare academic achievement and student analytical skills before and after certain periods of college study, usually using standardized…

A descriptive model of how people make judgments under ambiguity is proposed. Two factors are reflected in the model: (1) the amount of ambiguity, which affects the size of the simulation, and (2) one's attitudes toward ambiguity. The model is tested in four experiments using individual and group analyses. (Author/LMO)

Retarded and nonretarded persons were compared on a task designed to preclude the use of cognitive strategies. Results suggest the possible importance of automatic processing deficiencies and invite a reconsideration of the idea that the relationship between intelligence and memory is due entirely to effortful processes. (LMO)

New Jersey's statewide testing program demonstrates that systematic data collection and reporting can have a major impact on both understanding the gap between college expectations and high school preparation and on the college and pre-college efforts to close that gap. (Author/MLW)

Examines thought processes closely linked with intellectual development and transcending boundaries of many disciplines. Among the topics discussed are: nonuniform change without calculus; discrimination between observation and inference; asking one's own questions; hypothetico-deductive reasoning; and types of knowledge. (JM)