This document contains a detailed listing of topics covered in the mathematics and reading portions of the 1973 Form S and the 1981 Form U of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS). Chages in the overall structure of the CTBS, new topics included in Form U and old topics not covered, and changes in the arrangement of topics across the…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U, is scored in two ways: number-correct and pattern. The latter makes use of the information about which particular items are answered correctly, giving more weight to the more discriminating items and making allowances for guessing. Critics have suggested that black students are penalized by pattern…

This report provides a broad cross section of data on the operation and performance of New Mexico public schools during 1982-85. Data on enrollment (in kindergarten, in grades 1-6 and 7-12, and in special education, and percent enrolled in Title I and bilingual education programs), student characteristics (dropout rate, ethnicity, mobility),…

The reading portion of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) was equated to the reading comprehension subtest of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) using the Rasch Model. Both tests were administered to 366 low achieving fourth grade students. MEAP was treated as both a 95-item test and a 19-item (number of objectives…

A study compared the reading achievement of first grade students who attended half-day kindergarten to that of students who attended full-day kindergarten. Subjects, 67 students in urban Newark, New Jersey, who had attended half-day and 66 students who had attended full-day kindergarten, were given the first grade Comprehensive Tests of Basic…

The Statewide Testing Program assessed the achievement of South Carolina students in grades 3, 6, and 11. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form S (CTBS/S) were used to measure achievement in reading, language, mathematics, reference skills, science, and social studies. Over 126,000 students, representing 91 of South Carolina's 92 school…

Final evaluation of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that there was significant growth evidenced in over 75% of the reading subscale groupings as measured by the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (*CTBS). Subjects were 114…

Evaluation at the end of the first year of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that the major objective was not reached, but there were achievements nonetheless. Lakota (Sioux) children constitute 10% of the Rapid City, South Dakota…

The evaluation of reading in the West Hartford Public Schools is part of a larger evaluation of English/Language Arts. Its purpose is to provide information for program improvement and growth. Using existing data, the reading evaluation focuses on four questions: (1) Does the reading achievement of West Hartford students improve from grade four…

Three hundred fifty-nine pupils in grades four through six were given a supplemental guided discovery mathematics program designed for Special Elementary Education For the Disadvantaged (SEED). The guided discovery group improved approximately twice as much as the control group in arithmetic computation, concepts, application, total score, and in…

Each year, through its system-wide testing program, the Dallas Independent School District collects and reports assessment data on the achievement of its pupils. The data are summarized in a variety of ways in different reports to meet the needs of a particular audience. The three reports in this year's series were produced by computer, using a…

Describes a Camden (New Jersey) study that assessed the effects of student mobility and stability on achievement and examined interactions between the instructional program and student mobility. Results indicated direct instruction was as effective as traditional instruction that was aligned with a specific standardized test, and it produced…

The results are presented of the validation study of reading and mathematics criterion referenced tests, administered to South Carolina students in grades 3, 6, and 8. This testing was mandated by state law to field test a competency based assessment program. The study was based on three activities: (1) test selection; (2) content validation; and…

Statistical evaluation indicated the effectiveness of 10 software packages used in a 3-year project to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students. The project was implemented in four Rapid City (South Dakota) schools in which 79% of the Lakota (Sioux) Indian students (grades 3-6) were found…

For a sample of 152 children in grades 2 to 6, interest centered upon concurrent validity of measures of empathy and social sensitivity as conceptualized within the behavioral segment of Guilford's structure-of-intellect model and a criterion measure represented by a standardized test of academic performance. (Author/CTM)