Associations between school district poverty and achievement and Chapter 1 programs are studied. The allocation formula in the legislation states that funding is to be distributed in direct proportion to poverty and regional cost. Dependent variables include Chapter 1 funding, the number of district participants in compensatory education…

From 1970 to 1985, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) underwent major modifications caused by: (1) the addition of the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) to the College Board's Admissions Testing Program (ATP); (2) the passage of test disclosure legislation; (3) the institution of test sensitivity reviews; and (4) the use of item response…

This practicum was devised to promote academic achievement by reducing problem behavior in third graders. Students developed behaviorally correct options to promote prosocial behavior and avoidance of hostile situations in their social context by identifying social deficits and using discovery and transfer-learning techniques. Student pre- and…

Because of concerns about the validity of tests used in education and employment, a consultation on June 16, 1989, focused on tests of ability, achievement, and other skills. Invited experts were asked to address a set of issues common to both education and employment testing, primarily related to test construction procedures and how to establish…

Scholastic achievement tests and mental ability tests normally consist of a set of multiple choice items, all of which are assumed to measure school-relevant cognitive abilities. The presumption, in a given test situation, is that the answers/solutions to the given tasks represent cognitive capabilities on the part of the examinees. The purpose of…

National standardization data were used to reexamine the evidence of gender differences in achievement test scores reported in previous studies. Changes in differences over time, from 1963 to 1992, were examined, as were differences across all grade and achievement levels. Subjects participated in Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Iowa Tests of…

Information is provided for educators and the general public about the performance of students on the standardized tests administered in 1990 as part of the South Carolina Norm-Referenced Testing (SCNRT) Program. The first section of this report provides background information necessary for interpretation of the results. The second section reports…

Between 1978 and 1983, Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) undertook a comprehensive reform of its educational program in order to permit the continuation of the open door, while strengthening expectations and increasing the educational achievement of its graduates. Elements of the reform included the reinstatement of a placement testing program;…

This comprehensive evaluation of basic skills testing in California's elementary and secondary schools is divided into an executive summary and a collection of research reports. The summary evaluates current testing conducted by the state, school districts, and classroom teachers; describes experimental studies on new ways of testing and reporting…

A report on tests used by California undergraduate institutions and by graduate and professional schools is presented by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Information is provided on five tests used by undergraduate colleges: the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the Scholastic…

This handbook is part of a series of three, corresponding to the three grades (4, 6, and 8) at which Mastery Tests are administered. This publication was written as a resource for teachers developing mathematics programs for students in grades 7 and 8. The Mastery Test in Mathematics at Grade 8 assesses student performance for 36 instructional…

The second statewide direct writing assessment was conducted for grade eight by the California Assessment Program (CAP) in the spring of 1988. Each student wrote an essay in response to 1 of 45 prompts (writing tasks) representing 6 types of writing: autobiographical incident, report of information, problem solution, evaluation, story, and…

A statistical overview of the educational system in Alberta (Canada) for 1989 is presented. The report includes data and analyses concerning demographics; family and social structure; economy and workforce; early childhood services enrollments and projections; public and separate school enrollments and projections; private school enrollments;…

The learning gap between high school students in the United States and those in many other countries has several causes. First, U.S. students devote a lot less time and interest to learning. A second major reason is parental and school board apathy. Cultural comparisons reveal a lack of incentives for learning accomplishment in the United States,…

An brief overview of the Achievement Testing Program conducted by Alberta Education (AE) during 1980-90 is provided. The program provides AE, jurisdictions, schools, and the public with information about students' knowledge and skills in relation to objectives in the provincial program of studies. Program tests are administered every 4 years on a…