In order to investigate the influence of separation of grade distributions and ratio of common items on the precision of vertical scaling, this simulation study chooses common item design and first grade as base grade. There are four grades with 1,000 students each to take part in a test which has 100 items. Monte Carlo simulation method is used…

When Educational Testing Service (ETS) was first approached by college librarians, professors, and administrators to develop an assessment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacy, there was a resounding concern: incoming students could use technology for entertainment purposes, but many did not have the ICT literacy skills to do…

Grade 11 norms for the Academic Interest Measures are presented. A random sample of 187 schools was involved in the norming study, and three instruments, AIM, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, and a questionnaire were administered to 15,450 grade 11 students. Separate percentile ranks tables are presented for groups organized on the basis…

This study examined the predictive validity of placement test scores with course grade and retention in English and mathematics classes. An increase in the use of testing to determine student eligibility for community college courses has prompted debate and litigation over the equity, access, and legal implications of these practices. In…

A SURVEY, KNOWN AS PROJECT TALENT, IS TO BE A SERIES OF EXAMINATIONS ADMINISTERED TO 500,000 STUDENTS IN 1,000 SAMPLE SCHOOLS. IT AIMS AT MEASURING THE STUDENT'S PRESENT KNOWLEDGE AND HIS POTENTIAL APTITUDES AND ABILITIES. THE RESULTS OF THIS 1960 CENSUS WILL BE SCORED, ANALYZED, AND EVALUATED BY SPECIAL ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT. THE PROJECT IS BEING…

A SAMPLE OF 15-YEAR-OLDS WAS LOCATED AND TESTED AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF PROJECT TALENT, A NATIONAL INVENTORY OF APTITUDES AND ABILITIES OF HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH. A PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF ALL 15-YEAR-OLDS IN THE UNITED STATES WAS ESTABLISHED, CONSISTING OF 4 1/2 PERCENT OF ALL SUBJECTS IN GRADES 9 THROUGH 12 AND LESS THAN ONE-HALF OF ONE PERCENT OF ALL…

The necessity for counselors to use modern methods of appraising abilities in order to fill the demand in engineering and the sciences is discussed. Aptitude test scores for three groups of males are charted to illustrate the first problem, identifying those with the requisite talents. Practical problems in identification and counseling and their…

An overview is presented of current issues in the assessment of gifted and talented persons, with an emphasis on generalizable and universal talents and the operational methods used in their identification. The Chinese were seeking out talented individuals through formal identification procedures as early as 2200 BC. In the Western world, the use…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of part of a comprehensive research project concerning the Finnish matriculation examination. The goal of the project was to explore the matriculation examination as a series of tests indicative of ability differences between individuals, regardless of their causes. The…

A critical review of the psychometric properties of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) model for student assessment is presented. The review criticizes the lack of validity of some of the measures but praises the goals of the system. (JKS)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a study of the prognostic value of handicraft training in Finnish school for subsequent success in school and on the job. The study raised several related questions--techniques of work appraisal, citizenship, school streaming, and trial periods at vocational schools. The…

This article discusses the use of performance task assessments by Project STAR for identifying students for academically gifted programs in grades 3-6. A field test of the performance assessment tasks resulted in finding an additional group of students who were 12 percent African American and 14 percent low-income children. (Contains references.)…

Examines the information French and English speaking teachers use when programing for learning disabled students. Finds that French teachers rely more on problematic intelligence tests, that perceptual skills are influential in placing moderate-needs children, and that both groups use medical history, sibling performance, academic functioning, and…