This paper contains a comparison of descriptive information based on analyses of pilot and live administrations of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The test is composed of three subject tests: Reading, Mathematics, and Language. The study was intended to validate the test development procedure by comparing difficulty levels…

The design and development of a test of inference ability in reading comprehension for grades 6, 7, and 8 (the Phillips-Patterson Test of Inference Ability in Reading Comprehension) are described. After development of a contemporary theoretical framework for the test of inference ability in reading comprehension, the design, item development, and…

This study investigated the role of knowledge base organization in elementary school students' memory performance. In a preliminary study, students in grades 2, 6, and 10 rated words from three semantic categories for their category representativeness. Results disclosed age-related changes in how children rate words for high and low typicality.…

The purpose of the study was to determine whether particular aspects of movement control influenced the performance of 2-year-old children on a standard developmental test, and thus influenced assessments of intellectual progress based on that test. Six cerebral-palsied (CP) children were compared with six children not suffering motor system…

A study analyzed language-related and non-language-related textbooks used in India's secondary schools for compatibility of content across related curricular areas. The textbooks prescribed for standards 5 and 6 in Kannada, Hindi, and English for both State and Central school systems were analyzed. Language texts were analyzed for linguistic,…

This paper describes the experience of a German teacher of English as a second language (ESL) in using recreational reading as an integral part of ESL instruction and gives suggestions for materials and techniques to use in the classroom. The discussion begins with a description of foreign language instruction in the German school system and…

Alberta's curriculum guide for French immersion programs outlines the programs' rationale and objectives and the content of the oral language, reading, and writing components for six years. An introductory section discusses the aim of developing language competence and recent theory on competence. The role of language as an instrument of…

A one-parameter latent trait model was the basis of the test development procedures in the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). Several issues are involved in applying the Rasch model to an assessment program in a large school district. Separate sets of skills continua are arranged by…

Techniques such as the norm-referenced and average score techniques, commonly used in the identification of educationally disadvantaged students, are critiqued. This study applied latent trait theory, specifically the Rasch Model, along with teacher judgments relative to the mastery of instructional/test decisions, to derive a standard setting…

This report describes the design of a test of one aspect of critical thinking ability, the ability to correctly appraise observations. Intended for classroom use with senior high school students, the 50 item Test on Appraising Observations is based on a comprehensive set of principles modified from Robert Ennes' conception of good observation…

The "A" testing program of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, Phase III-B, is summarized. A sample of 150 second grade and 134 fifth grade students completed the reading and mathematics achievement battery, as well as affective scales regarding reading, mathematics, and school. The administration procedures, test results, and psychometric…

Traditionally, studies of beginning reading have focused either on between-subjects' differences or on changes in reading performance characteristics induced by specific training procedures. A third approach to reading is a within-subjects' comparison of individual performance characteristics at varying difficulty levels. The present study…

An 11 page chapter from a sixth grade social studies text was used in a study assessing the complexities of comprehending social studies materials and the sensitivity of prospective and experienced teachers to these complexities. A sentence-by-sentence analysis of the thinking operations required for mastery of the material showed that numerous…

A study was conducted to investigate children's ability to deal with multiple meaning words in isolation and in context. Four low-ability students and four high-ability students from grades two, four, and six were shown nouns rated at the prefourth, presixth, and pretenth grade levels, and asked to give the meaning of the words. Students received…

Relationships between item bias, item difficulty invariance, Rasch tests of item fit, and item position in a speeded 72-item Michigan State University Vocabulary Placement Test were investigated using 143 black males, 289 black females, 2,953 white males and 3,271 white females. Measures of item bias and item difficulty invariance were determined…