Determined the utility of the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC) with preschool children. Found the BPC sensitive in differentiating clinical from nonclinical groups. Findings suggest that the Behavior Problem Checklist, although not specifically designed to assess preschool age children, may be effective with this population. (Author)

Presents an annotated bibliography of recent ERIC documents on the effectiveness of screening and standardized testing at the early childhood level of education. (Author/BB)

Three hypotheses were tested regarding the attribution of causation for successful behavior by kindergarten children: (1) self concept--children with high self esteem make internal attributions and those with low self esteem make external attributions; (2) locus of control (LOC)--children with internal LOC make internal attributions and those with…

In 1975 a longitudinal study was begun to determine the impact of the New York State Experimental Prekindergarten Program on the children's cognitive development. The program enrolls approximately 6,500 children annually. Three cognitive measures were used to evaluate program effects: the Walker Readiness Test for Disadvantaged Children, the…

Tests for the very young child must be nonverbal, and must be fairly brief, inexpensive, and reasonably simple to score and administer. This annotated bibliography represents a selected sample of 109 tests for children aged two through six. The selection covers most of the areas assessed in early childhood programs, including intelligence,…

IN ORDER TO DEVELOP AN INTELLIGENCE TEST FOR PRESCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN THAT WOULD OVERCOME SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS OF AVAILABLE TESTS, A PERCEPTUAL DISCRIMINATION TEST USING POLYGONAL FORMS HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND TESTED. THE CHILD POINTS TO ONE OF TWO, THREE, OR FIVE FORMS MATCHING A STIMULUS FORM. INITIAL TESTING WITH 44 CHILDREN RANGING IN AGE FROM…

A current exploratory research project is directed toward developing means for gathering systematic data on nonverbal representation in young children. Tasks involving nonverbal representational functioning have been developed, evaluated in preliminary work with fifteen 4-year-old subjects, and revised. The revised series of tasks consists of four…

As a measure of gender identity constancy, The Boy-Girl Identity Task was administered in both Year 1 and Year 2 of the ETS-Head Start Longitudinal Study. The instrument consists of two parallel tasks, each with five items. In Task I, a pricture and name of a girl and presented to the subjects. Items consist of hypothetical changes introduced by…

In this research project, the problems studied were as follows: (1) Are there differences in scanning patterns between preschool children who show Positional Response Sets (PRS) and normal adults? (2) Do the techniques utilized in "An Exploration of PRS in Disadvantaged children and a Technique for Reduction of Such Sets" change scanning patterns?…

Brief annotations of the instruments acquired by the Test Collection of Educational Testing Service from January through March of 1971, whether published in the U. S. or abroad, are provided. A special Head Start Test Collection has also been established to provide information about instruments for those engaged in research or project direction…

The ability of the Slosson Intelligence Test to predict academic achievement was assessed by using three samples of pre-kindergarten pupils from three successive years in a large midwest school district. Results indicate a moderately good predictive power of the instrument. (Author/JKS)

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlight Series newsletter presents findings of a nationwide survey of state policies and definitions related to school readiness. Findings indicated that efforts to minimize the misuse of readiness assessment tools may have had some impact at the state level, with respondents showing an increased awareness of recommended…

Examined construction of different predictive models for readiness for first grade, using data from prekindergarten screening. Found 45.6 percent to 75.9 percent of the children correctly classified. Results indicate that less emphasis should be given to collecting historical screening data and that many social/emotional problems may go undetected…

Evaluated the Screening Test of Academic Readiness (STAR) using a sample of 28 third graders. The third graders' scores on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test were correlated with their total STAR scores from prekindergarten testing. Results showed the STAR is a useful instrument for predicting third grade achievement. (Author/JAC)

Examines the extent to which kindergarten pupil and teacher behaviors during administration of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills--Early Primary Battery may compromise the meaningfulness and usefulness of the test scores. Although extensive variability in behavior was observed, most teachers followed directions exactly and most pupils encountered no…