The Clark's Drawing Abilities Test was administered to 177 secondary-level students and found to effectively identify gifted/talented visual arts students. Students draw a house, a person running, friends playing, and a fantasy drawing, and these drawings are scored on sensory, formal, expressive, and technical properties. (JDD)

Fifty-seven primary-level students completed the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-Primary: Second Edition (DTLA-P:2) and the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Part I and II. A strong relationship between the two provides evidence for the criterion-related and construct validity of the DTLA-P:2 test scores. (Author/JDD)

This study was undertaken to determine whether a significant correlation exists between the student's performance on the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Examination and three factors: (1) mathematics scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT); (2) a mathematics index score reflecting mathematics courses taken by the student…

This study analyzed user manuals and technical supplements of 27 aptitude and achievement tests to determine whether disabled children were included in development of the tests' norms, items, reliability indices, and validity indices. Most test developers provided scant evidence that their tests were valid for use with disabled students. (JDD)

The key to high school student motivation is recognizing and rewarding academic effort. Compared to the United States, students in foreign countries study harder and their parents demand more of the schools because labor market success is determined by how much is learned in high school. Schools in the United States, however, reward students for…

Standardized achievement and aptitude tests may be of very limited value in making placement or instructional decisions about bilingual students. The practice of categorizing standardized test scores by ethnic groups obscures the difficulties of administering and interpreting tests taken by bilinguals. Individuals who are bilingual have two…

The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised is a set of tests designed to measure cognitive abilities, scholastic aptitude, and achievement in the areas of reading, mathematics, and written language, in individuals aged 2-95 years. This paper describes the test battery's administration, scoring, standardization, reliability, and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences between males and females on locus of control, if experimental instructions differentially affect the performance of internals as opposed to externals, and if locus of control differentially influences performance on distinct types of aptitude tests. The Children's…

Data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and achievement tests and from the High School and Beyond Survey were examined to explore: (1) differences among states in the amount of coursework taken by high school students; (2) differences across states in SAT achievement test scores; (3) the relationship between course taking and achievement; and…

Criticism of standardized tests is extensive, and a number of claims of test misuse have been made. Test misuse is discussed in six common circumstances. (1) Test users accept the title of a test as an accurate and complete description of the variable being measured, not having full knowledge of the test, its items, and the test manual. A…

The purpose of this study was to examine for the middle grades how students' cognitive reasoning level contributes to the variability of their achievement test performance. While previous investigations have indicated that measures of reasoning development are associated with measures of achievement, few such studies have attempted to control for…

Although by traditional measures of test validity, the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is not culture biased, it, along with the English Composition Test and the Test of Standard Written English, reinforces a narrow view of academic excellence that excludes culturally different youths. Designed to prevent admission errors, the…

Studies of sex differences in test performance have identified the content of test items, the context in which they are set, and the constructs purportedly underlying the item as important variables influencing performance. Test content often reflects experiences that traditional social roles have discouraged women from exploring. Often, the item…

A meta-analysis was conducted of 137 studies investigating the effects of father absence due to employment, military service, death, divorce, separation, or desertion on children's cognitive performance as assessed by scores on standardized intelligence, scholastic aptitude, and academic achievement tests and school grades. Aggregation of the…

The research study sought to determine the status of student assessment instrumentation and practices in programs dealing with the transition of special education students from school to work or postsecondary education, and to determine areas where current practice was not able to meet the changing demands of transitional services. Transition…