University of Northern l o waSchool records for 313 students were reviewed to determine the effects of age of entry and gender on later academic achievement and grade retention. Twelve of these students were of legal age for school entry but were redshirted. Our findings indicated statistically significant but relatively small achievement differences between oldest and youngest children when cognitive ability scores were controlled. Redshirts, however, did not appear to gain any advantage in achievement as a result of delaying school entry.
One hundred and seventeen students who began kindergarten in 1978-79 were studied to determine effects of beginning school age and gender on later school achievement and retention in grade. No significant differences among the three age groups were found at kindergarten, 2nd, or 4th grade. Differences in achievement between boys and girls were noted. Results are similar to those of other recent studies and suggest that parents and teachers may be unduly cautious when delaying the entry of children to school on the basis of chronological age considerations. Local district studies are recommended.
Student records of 170 learning disabled students from two area agencies were examined to determine the stability of WISC‐R test scores administered as part of the 3‐year reevaluation of students required by Public Law 94–142. The WISC‐R had been readministered to 150 of these students. Stability coefficients were .72, .70, and .74 for the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. Changes in Full Scale scores were 4 points or less for 52% of the sample. Changes greater than 15 points were noted for 4% of the sample. Results suggest that WISC‐R scores are reasonably stable over a 3‐year interval, and routine readministration of the WISC‐R should not be required or encouraged.
Using the context of pupil-initiated questions, selected verbal and nonverbal behaviors of teachers were investigated. Twelve teachers in individualized classroom settings were asked to select four students subsequently labeled accepted, concerned, indifferent, and rejected. Teacher verbal behaviors were recorded with the Observation Schedule and Record 5V. Teacher-pupil interpersonal distance was recorded with the kinesthetic scale of the proxemic notation system. Selected pupils completed a school attitude questionnaire. School attitudes differed significantly between pupils labeled accepted, concerned, indifferent, and rejected. No significant differences were found in teacher behaviors toward these pupil groups. The usefulness of the situational context approach to the investigation of teacher behaviors is discussed.. Appreciation is expressed to Diane Berthel and Steven Silvern for their assistance at selected stages of this project.
Review of the early-identification literature indicates considerable problems related to describing screening results and determining when a procedure accurately identifies students believed to be at-risk. Several criteria are proposed in this article for determining and communicating screening results. These criteria, which are applied to a screening program for illustrative purposes, provide a context for judging prediction accuracy. It is argued that accuracy of prediction is of little value and cannot be considered sufficient unless the predictions lead to better educational opportunities for the students about whom they are made.
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