Argues that the Scholastic Aptitude Test is unnecessary. Advocates the coordinated development of achievement tests and high school curricula based on the College Board's Advanced Placement Program and Project Equality. (FMW)

Finds the best preschool predictors of reading were naming tests for boys and general verbal ability for girls; for kindergartners, a quantitative test surpassed test of phonemic awareness and language in predicting reading; effects of birth order were strongest at the preschool level; socioeconomic status had significant effects only for boys,…

Uses preschool tests of general verbal ability, verbal memory span, phonological awareness, lexical access speed and accuracy, and letter knowledge in preschool as independent measures predicting performance on second-grade reading comprehension, word discrimination, and word decoding speed. Finds differential main effects and interactions but a…

Investigated the role of disconfirming behavioral information and the limits on social class schema effects. Using a Bayesian model of social perception, it was found that unambiguous, relevant stimulus information influenced judgments. Although social class information did not affect relevant stimulus information, it did sway judgments in…

Results of combining various measures of faculty productivity in a public research university with budgetary cost data using input-output analyses are reported. Application of this method provides mixed support for the notion that university administrators can use annual budget decisions to influence faculty productivity and costs. (SLD)

Sources of continuity among nine measures of infant cognitive processing and later childhood intelligence quotient were examined through developmental structural equation models applied to a sample of 208 twin pairs measured from 7 to 36 months. Skills assessed appear related to general cognitive ability in a relatively unstable manner. (SLD)

Hierarchical (adaptive) and linear methods of testlet construction were compared. The performance of 2,080 ninth and tenth graders on a 4-item testlet was used to predict performance on the entire test. The adaptive test was slightly superior as a predictor, but the cost of obtaining that superiority was considerable. (SLD)

Inferential conditions in the statistical detection of measurement bias are discussed in the contexts of differential item functioning and predictive bias in educational and employment settings. It is concluded that bias measures that rely strictly on observed measures are not generally diagnostic of measurement bias or lack of bias. (SLD)

Two experiments involving 60 fifth graders and 40 fourth graders investigated how goal setting and progress feedback affect self-efficacy and writing achievement. The process goal with progress feedback had the greatest impact on achievement outcomes. Self-efficacy was highly predictive of writing skill and strategy use. (SLD)

Studied the extent to which psychosocial development thorough the first 5 stages of E. H. Erikson's theory of personality development is associated with personality disorder symptoms, using 106 undergraduates. Negative resolutions of stages one through five may predict the presence of personality disorder symptomatology during late adolescence.…

Listening and reading comprehension tests were administered to 180 children in grades 3-8. A regression equation was derived and applied to listening comprehension scores of seven children with reading difficulties. The procedure was determined to be useful in predicting reading comprehension and attributing it to poor decoding, poor…

The predictive validity of SEARCH and of academic achievement tests for identifying children at risk for reading problems was compared, with 668 kindergarten children. The use of various cutoff scores for SEARCH and the application of a 2-factor scoring system resulted in high rates of false negatives and false positives. (Author/JDD)

The Procrastination Inventory developed for use with doctoral students in clinical psychology was modified for use with all-but-dissertation students and doctoral graduates in a college of education. Factor and Rasch analyses of the revised measure identified three subscales: (1) procrastination, (2) perfectionism, and (3) graduate school comfort.…

Compares the predictive performances of the Illinois CANTS 17B and the Washington State Risk Matrix on a sample of New Jersey child protective services cases using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Both instruments predict case recidivism, closings, and substantiation with probabilities greater than chance.…

This study investigated the validity of 3 curriculum-based measures for predicting the performance of 184 secondary students (including 13 with mild disabilities) on content-area tasks. Reliable correlations were found between oral reading, maze, and vocabulary measures; and students' performance on comprehension, acquisition, and retention of…