Findings of two studies which examined the identification of prekindergarteners with potential learning problems are presented. The first was a pilot study, in which a short screening device and a parent questionnaire were administered to a large, randomly-selected sample. In the second study, these instruments were validated against extensive…

As a preschool screening instrument, the Preschool Preposition Test (PPT) can play an important role in the early identification of cognitive delay. PPT scores increase appropriately with chronological age. Cognitive data demonstrate impressive correlations with recognized intelligence tests (the Stanford-Binet and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary…

The main goal of this book is to enable examiners to use the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities as a clinical tool for evaluating preschool and primary-grade children. However, before an examiner becomes too concerned with issues relating to test interpretation, he or she should first understand thoroughly certain basic considerations.…

This longitudinal study examined the effects of one year of full-day Head Start day care experiences on the long-term motivational and cognitive changes in 29 low-income black children aged 51-61 months. The children were separated into two groups; one attended a full-day kindergarten similar to Head Start, and the other was sent to half-day…

This pamphlet presents a description of two interrelated Swedish research projects both of which studied the effects of preschool programs on young children. The first project, a traditional preschool curriculum, is examined in terms of Weikart's scheme for preschool curriculum models. The evaluation procedure involved a comparison of 130…

The Spontaneous Numerical Correspondence Test is an adaptation of a Piagetian procedure. Here the tester sets out an array of blue ceramic tiles and, providing the child with his/her own box of 15 blue and 15 red tiles, asks the S to take out the same number. The task is repeated four times: twice with 7 tiles, once with 8, and once with 10. In…

Brief annotations of currently available language development measures appropriate for use with preschool children as well as with lower elementary grade children (grades 1 through 3) are presented. The annotation provides information concerning the purpose of the test; the groups for which it is intended; test subdivisions or tested skills,…

Noting that the last 40 years have witnessed an enormous increase in the number of psychological tests designed for the assessment of competencies in very young children, this review summarizes the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of psychological tests and other assessment instruments used to evaluate the cognitive functioning of…

This report on the Santa Clara Plus Assessment and Activities Program describes the development of the Santa Clara Inventory of Developmental Tasks and evaluates the program's effectiveness. Intended as an observational tool for teachers concerned with the development of readiness, the Inventory provides a procedure for: (1) observing children's…

This follow-up study helped determine the predictive validity of parent and teacher ratings and scores from the Early Identification Assessment Battery. This assessment involved a random selection of 4-year-old children scheduled to enter a French immersion program in the Ottawa, Canada, school system. In the spring of grade 1, 63% of the original…

Risk-Taking 2 investigates behaviors of young children who are presented with a choice without prior knowledge of the outcome. The child is asked to choose between a certainty, a toy placed in front of him, and an uncertainty, a paper bag which E had previously explained might contain five toys or none at all. Children who chose the certain toy…

This paper presents an overview of the state of the art in attitude assessment of young children toward school and school-related activities. The focus is on preschool children, aged four, through second grade children. Various problems of attitude assessment are presented and techniques of attitude measurement such as (1) teacher ratings, (2)…

Describes a system of inservice training and support delivered to mainstream day care personnel by the staff of the Social Integration Project. The results of the project's goal to integrate handicapped preschool children into day care programs are measured by the progress of the children served and by teacher attitudes. (Author/DT)

The Head Start Measures Project was a 3-year study to develop a set of measures designed specifically for Head Start children. The measures are based on a path-referenced approach to assessment, in which children's performance is described in terms of their position along paths of development. A path is defined as a sequence of skills within a…

This paper presents some of the preliminary findings of a longitudinal study for the determination of a set of measures which could be used to predict specific reading problems and general school achievement. The samples selected for study were from different socioeconomic groups. The paper deals specifically with the socioeconomic differences…