The study reported here examined the long term performance of three groups of children who attended the Head Start program in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. The students attended Head Start as preschoolers in 1970-71, 1974-75, and 1978-79, and were in grades 4, 8, and 12, respectively, during the 1983-84 school year. The…

Results of a study of the efficacy of foreign language instruction at the elementary school level are presented. The study provides new information permitting comparison of three program types--Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES), partial immersion, and immersion--currently used in schools in the United States. The results are based…

Schools, colleges, and departments of education are becoming increasingly accountable for the training and evaluation of competent teachers, and are developing new ways to evaluate their graduates and their programs. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has identified three areas for evaluating teacher education…

In response to state mandates, the Hawaii Department of Education (HDE) began reporting on the current achievement status and progress of students scoring in the lowest three stanines of the Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT). The Longitudinal Student Achievement Monitoring (LSAM) process is described and evaluated; it was established to monitor low…

A review of the significant research on gender differences in test performance is provided, including studies documenting these differences and theories forwarded for the factors related to differential test performance. Research covered addresses undergraduate admissions tests, graduate and professional school admission tests, validity studies,…

Information from the administration of the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) within the Charleston County (South Carolina) School District is presented. Tests are administered in the spring of each school year to students in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 as part of the BSAP. These tests have been administered statewide since 1981. BSAP tests were…

The master plan for the Florida State University System includes the mission statements of the nine universities and provides economic, demographic, financial, enrollment and other trend data. Topics are covered in the following chapters: (1) "Progress during the Last Five Years"; (2) "Roles of the State University System"; (3)…

This paper analyzes Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score declines of two decades--the 1960s and 1970s. The importance of pervasive societal influences is accepted. A variety of data suggests, however, that the increase in school retention rates of poorly prepared students and the resulting heterogeneity of the high school population is a unifying…

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken by high school seniors between 1975 and 1986. Its purpose was to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of examinees planning to major in mathematics, science, and engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning…

In 1980, a study was conducted to evaluate the cognitive development of community college graduates. Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The control variables used in the analysis were three socioeconomic variables and scores on two standardized tests of verbal and mathematical achievement. The…

This manual offers a model to assist educators in evaluating the music and art programs in elementary and secondary schools. Assessment is conducted by means of teacher observations and interviews with students, parents, and teachers. Rating scales, check lists, questionnaires, and fact sheets are provided for evaluating selected elements in…

Court ordered desegregation introduces significant requirements for school districts' testing programs. The Remedial Order in effect in Cleveland, Ohio (Reed vs. Rhodes) cautions defendants that "they must insure that all tests, whether standardized, criterion-referenced, or teacher-made are developed, administered, and scored in a…

This document accompanies the Conceptual Learning and Development Assessment Series I: Equilateral Triangle, a test constructed to chart the conceptual developemnt of individuals. As a technical manual, it contains information on the rationale, development, standardization, and reliability of the test, as well as essential information and…

This document accompanies Conceptual Learning and Development Assessment Series II: Cutting Tool, a test constructed to chart the conceptual development of individuals. As a technical manual, it contains information on the rationale, development, standardization, and reliability of the test, as well as essential information and statistical data…

The impact of the administrative climate, individualized instruction, and counseling to develop student internal control, was measured in this 1975 study against vocational program completion rates, individual locus of control expectancy, and academic outcomes of high risk students in developmental programs. All entering vocational students and a…