The purpose of this study is to determine the predictive validity of early literacy curriculum-based measurement on high-stakes reading tests administered in grades 3, 4 and 5. This study will examine curriculum-based measurement subtests kindergarten Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Letter-Naming Fluency (LNF) and 1st grade…

Despite the trend toward inclusive education for all students, there is little research that focuses on the academic achievement of students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and other health impairments (OHI) in inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to analyze and compare the academic achievement…

Ecological validity is an important construct in the assessment of young children. The argument is made that using environmentally based assessment practices as well as understanding the child's ecology will help assure that assessments are carried out in an ecologically valid manner. The discussion focuses on play-based assessment,…

The current study will examine possible contextual effects relative to differences in reading comprehension performance in the state of Florida. While the Reading First (RF) Impact study examined such difference using a regression discontinuity design, the authors are primarily interested in other analytic methods that might answer different…

Analyzing data from a large urban district in Texas, this study examines how high-stakes test exemptions alter officially reported scores and asks whether test exemption has implications for the academic achievement of special education students. Test exemption inflated overall passing rates but especially affected the passing rates of African…

The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent criterion-related (or convergent) validity of first grade measures from the "Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills" (DIBELS; Good & Kaminski, 2002). The DIBELS subtests of Phoneme Segmentation Fluency, Nonsense Word Fluency, Oral Reading Fluency, Retell Fluency, and…

Addresses the question of abnormality when comparing a subject's score on each subtest with that subject's average subtest score on one of Weschler's scales. Suggests comparing each subtest score with the Verbal or Performance average rather than with the overall average. Provides tables estimating differences of standardization samples. (BH)

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the predictive ability of six teacher variables: absenteeism, age, gender, degree level, certification status, and experience on fifth-grade mathematics achievement as measured by norm- and criterion-referenced tests. The study was conducted in a large suburban school district in Georgia…

First year students' academic performance in three Life Science courses (Botany, Zoology and Bioscience) was compared. Pass rates, as well as the means and distributions of final marks were analysed. Of the three components (coursework, practical and theory examinations) contributing to the final mark of each course, students performed best in the…

More and more, data from standardized assessments are being used to make instructional decisions for struggling middle school readers. Administrators must stop spending money on "silver-bullet" curriculum programs and start spending money on training opportunities that will lead to autonomy and creativity in the classroom. In this article, the…

Study examined the validity of 1948 norms of the Picture-Frustration Study, Children's Form. Instrument was administered to 140 children, grades 2 through 6, as part of a project investigating effects of video games. Though findings differed from the 1948 norms, they supported the validity of the Children's Form of the Picture-Frustration Study.…

G. Burket's criticisms regarding calculation and interpretation of group scores on norm-referenced tests are discussed. Burket and Baglin seem to agree on the existence of a problem in the calculation and interpretation of group scores on norm-referenced tests but disagree on the issue of that problem's causes and solutions. (TJH)

This study compared effect sizes applied to raw, scaled, and normal curve equivalent (NCE) data. Recommendations for the interpretation of effect sizes vary. For example, some authors suggest that an effect size below 0.50 is small, between 0.50 and 1.00 is moderate, and above 1.00 is large. These are products of the criterion formally used by the…

This paper offers a systematic critical review of controlled outcome studies of the "Philosophy for Children" (P4C) method in primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools. Ten studies met the stringent criteria for inclusion, measuring outcomes by norm-referenced tests of reading, reasoning, cognitive ability, and other curriculum-related…