The writer calls attention to the many traps associated with one of the most frequent uses of assessment: the technical difficulties of measuring changes in learning over time. Noting that psychometricians don't like "change" or "difference" scores in statistical analyses because they tend to have lower reliability than the original measures…

Problems in the measurement of gain in adult literacy programs were investigated through repeated testing of a group of students in adult basic education and General Educational Development classes and through computer simulations. Ninety-two students were tested at 3 different times over 7 months with a battery of norm-referenced reading and…

This report summarizes the school factors that affect the academic achievement of black urban high school students. An examination of changes in the academic achievement of the members of a class of 148 students between the sophomore and senior years found the following changes: (1) 4 percent of those who had been classified as "high achievers" as…

This paper describes a computerized system designed and developed for the purpose of simplifying and improving scoring and summarizing the achievement of students participating in Title I programs. The goal of the evaluation and reporting system is to provide meaningful and comparable information about Title I projects at the school building,…

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of freshmen entering Brenau College in Georgia and the likelihood of graduation from the institution. The basic research question was: Do proportionately more students entering Brenau with combined SAT scores at or above 800 persist to graduation at…

In response to the fact that technical standards for screening and placement tests must be more rigorous than those for readiness tests, the predictive validity of the Gesell School Readiness Tests (GSRT) was examined. The purpose of the GSRT, a commonly used screening instrument, is the assessment of children's developmental behaviors to aid in…

The theory and technology of item characteristic curve (ICC) response theory and adaptive testing were applied to judging individuals' competencies against a prespecified mastery level to determine whether each individual is a "master" or "nonmaster" of a specified content domain. Items from two conventionally administered mastery tests…

Three studies related to group interpretation of the subskills tested by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were the focus of this project. These were the Impact Study, Teachers' Predictions of Student Performance on Subskills of Mathematics, and Relationships between the Results of ITBS. Mathematics Subtests and Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics…

This study attempted to establish the relationship of cognitive aptitudes and styles to measures of general and more subtle academic achievement. It was expected that the associations of aptitudes and styles to general measures of achievement would converge to form similar correlational patterns; associations of aptitudes to more subtle measures…

The magnet schools program in St. Louis supported seven elementary and three secondary level programs. In addition, three pilot programs on the secondary level were established. The programs were evaluated in terms of basic skills achievement and social relations (defined as decreased racial isolation). Statistical analyses of achievement data…

THE STEPS IN PLANNING AND CARRYING OUT THE INITIAL PROJECT ARE OUTLINED. THE PROJECT IS AIMED AT PROVIDING A SOUND FACTUAL BASIS WHICH WOULD ASSIST PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IN HELPING EACH INDIVIDUAL TO REALIZE HIS GREATEST POTENTIAL. TESTS WERE DEVISED TO ANALYZE APTITUDE, ACHIEVEMENT, INTEREST, AND PERSONALITY. THE 2-DAY TEST…

Virtually no research conducted on women and mathematics is longitudinal in scope, generalizable in extent, and ethnic-race specific in nature. This descriptive study begins to fill the gap by examining the effects of background, school, and social-psychological factors on Hispanic, black, and white women's mathematics attainments. Data for the…

The relationship between the behavioral consistency procedure and two other procedures (application form analysis and rating scales) were investigated through a comparison of initial employment and hiring practices used by the U.S. Civil Service Commission. The position of Budget Analyst was initially assessed in terms of five achievement areas…

This progress report of a 2-year project (ending April 30, 1968) offers a random sampling of course schedule configurations and specific course performance criteria submitted to the Stanford project staff for evaluation and comment, and a brief statement of the project's data collection and data evaluation objectives. The project seeks to…

This thesis is composed of two studies which look at the impact of exposure to schooling on achievement growth of children. Both use data from the National Follow Through Evaluation. The first study investigates the hypothesis that the difference in achievement growth between poor and non-poor children is greater during the summer months than…