This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a project which developed, implemented, and evaluated the effectiveness of a microcomputer/videodisc math instructional management system for grades K-4. The system was designed to operate on an APPLE II microcomputer, videodisc player, and input-output devices. It included three…

The failure of students to repay federally insured loans has led to an increased emphasis on default prevention and threatens institutions with high default rates with exclusion from federal student aid programs. Prior studies of default prevention using theoretical constructs based on economics, sociology, and psychology have yielded mixed…

This pilot study was conducted with a sample of 25 female administrators. Fourteen of the participants are employed in Alabama public schools, while seven work in international schools in the United States, and the remaining four are administrators in international schools in Mexico. The international schools in the study are listed in the…

A longitudinal study of various measures of creativity was conducted to determine the validity of a number of possible predictors of an arts orientation. Tests of creative thinking, creative personality, divergent thinking, intelligence, and school achievement were administered to above-average fifth-graders (N=23), who also drew pictures based on…

The Lollipop Test (La Prueba Lollipop) is a bilingual preschool readiness test (in both English and Spanish) that has been the subject of a number of studies to assess validity and detect cultural bias. Such studies have not dealt with item analysis as a way to measure cultural fairness. The Rasch model was used in a study of the Lollipop test…

The Middle Childhood HOME (MC-HOME) Inventory is designed to measure the quality and quantity of stimulation and support available to a child in the home environment. It is an interview/questionnaire that is individually administered to the primary caregiver while the target child is awake and present. The instrument is intended to be a sensitive…

Issues in collecting data on the classroom performance of teachers are discussed, with a focus on written descriptions of teacher behavior in contrast with videotaped observations. The central issue in this comparison is the comparability of the information when it is observed live and when it is simply recorded on videotape. The fundamental…

Lessons derived from the Job Performance Measurement (JPM) Project, which is overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel, for educational assessment are explored. The JPM Project was initiated to develop high fidelity measures of performance on the job that can be used to evaluate personnel…

The use of performance based evaluation on a national scale with 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom is described, and the impact of national assessment on teaching practice and implications of this type of assessment are considered. The national assessment program in the United Kingdom started in earnest in 1991 when all 7-year-olds were assessed…

This pair of studies investigated the psychometric adequacy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) with a population of 8,396 potentially gifted elementary children of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as diverse emotional and social environments. Study I showed subjects' profiles differed strikingly from…

The impact of non-response (NR) in baseline data collection on the ability to analyze treatment effects in Project ALERT (Adolescent Experiences in Resistance Training) was studied. Project ALERT is a multisite, multiyear test of a smoking and drug prevention program for seventh and eighth graders. Questionnaires about drug use and related topics…

An Indiana project developed a model diagnostic basic skills testing program with statewide application for teachers certified under the Occupational Specialist Rules. Fifteen commercially produced tests were reviewed for adoption. The set of criteria that guided the selection process included technical aspects and application factors. The TABE…

The field testing process for the collection of data on the norms, reliability, and concurrent validity of the Career Decision-Making System (CDM) is described. The CDM is a comprehensive career planning instrument that surveys interests, values, abilities, and training plans and relates them to career information in client-oriented interpretive…

This study evaluated Krell's 1981-82 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparatory series software purported to raise students' scores substantially after only a short term of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Forty-eight college-bound juniors from Escambia County (Florida) were assigned to experimental and control groups. A two-phased pre- and…

The Outward Bound Bridging Course is a 6-week residential program designed to improve academic achievement and self-concepts in low-achieving high school males. During 1980-1984, five courses were conducted for 66 Australian high school males. Most of them were ninth grade students, chosen on the basis of poor academic performance, an apparent…