The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment instrument through which affective responsiveness of third-grade children to music could be measured. / Three sources provided the foundation for the present study: (a) the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook II: Affective Domain (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1964) which outlines five levels of affective behavior and suggests possible behaviors indicative of each level (receiving, responding, valuing, organization, and characterization by a value); levels I and II were determined pertinent to the present study; (b) the studies of Piaget which provide cognitive characteristics of the school-age child; and (c) the works of Erikson which explore the emotional and social development of the school-age child. / These three sources combined with a synthesis of selected literature resulted in the selection and definition of three behaviors indicative of affective response to music: attentiveness, physical response, and unsolicited response. / An initial affective behavior assessment instrument was designed to record student observations and to test the procedure. Subsequently, a fourth behavior--verbal response--was added and operational definitions were redefined upon analysis of the pilot instrument by music experts. / The study used the final Affective Behavior Assessment Instrument Form in evaluating ten observations edited from five videotaped third-grade music classes. Observations were made across three separate music settings of desk work, bell playing, and board work. / Results indicate that third-grade children's behavior representative of affective responsiveness to music can be observed and charted. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-09, Section: A, page: 3008. / Major Professor: Amy Brown. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

The Jamaican Grade 6 Achievement Test (JGSAT) was developed to have multiple roles, the fourth is contemplated to replace the Common Entrance Examination (CEE). Validity of the JGSAT, as a selection device, is complicated by its multiple and diverse roles. Two questions guided this study: To what extent does the available evidence support interpreting and using the JGSAT for selection? What are the anticipated consequences of using the JGSAT for selection? / The JGSAT's validation is based on Messick's (1989a, 1989b) approach in which validity is a unitary concept based on an evaluative judgement. This requires evidence of appropriate interpretation and use, and consideration of resulting consequences of using the JGSAT for selection. The literature review examined psychometric characteristics of two prominent tests and identified specific consequences of seven tests. The specific consequences were classified into seven broad categories of consequences. The psychometric characteristics and the broad categories were then used for examining the JGSAT's validity. / The investigation of psychometric characteristics of the JGSAT involved assessing reliability and predictive validity. Demonstrations were done using item response theory and multiple regression. Anticipated consequences were also examined. / Three findings were based on evidence. (i) JGSAT is reliable and may be used for selection if predictive validity is improved. (ii) Additional investigative and developmental work are required. (iii) Multiple regression and IRT are useful for improving precision and predictive validity respectively. / Discussions on consequences suggested three findings. (i) The CEE has negative characteristics and has devastating consequences. (ii) The JGSAT has positive characteristics that may promote improved student performance and educational quality and may change public perception of schools. (iii) Anticipated consequences of the JGSAT would be realized only if primary and secondary education are overhauled. / The study concluded the educational context of selection must be overhauled as a corollary for using the JGSAT. Implementing the JGSAT within the present context would result in those consequences observed for the CEE. The imperative is to change the educational context, within which selection occurs, contemporaneously with implementing the JGSAT and for it to be used first as a selection, and then as a placement, test. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: A, page: 1585. / Major Professor: Albert Oosterhof. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1996.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects upon student learning of two commonly used test item formats (short-answer and multiple-choice). College students (N = 194) enrolled in an undergraduate education course were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The treatment consisted of the administration of four classroom tests presented in three alternate formats: short-answer, multiple-choice, and a combination of short-answer and multiple-choice. Group membership determined which test type the students received throughout the semester. All students, regardless of group membership, received both short-answer and multiple-choice items on the final exam. / Using multiple regression analysis and controlling for pretest performance, the increment in explained variance due to the treatment was tested. Group membership did not affect student performance on the short-answer final, F (2, 190) = 1.10, p $>$.05, nor on the multiple-choice final, F (2, 190) =.158, p $>$.05. / It is suggested that the selection of one item format over the other be based upon factors other than student achievement. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0488. / Major Professor: F. J. King. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

This study was a longitudinal investigation of the audit process as applied to Florida school districts, emphasizing the compliance portion of the process. The primary problem was to determine whether there was any difference in audit compliance rating scores of districts at intervals of five or more years. A secondary problem was to determine whether there was any relationship between actual audit scores and perceptions of superintendents and school board members. / The subjects were 32 districts that had been audited twice as of 1986, superintendents of those districts, and school board members. An ex post facto design was followed in which superintendents and board members were surveyed by questionnaire. The response rate was 90% for superintendents and about 50% for board members. / The investigator reviewed the 64 published audit reports pertaining to the 32 districts that had been audited twice and calculated the percentage of criteria met by each district. Districts scored about six points higher on the second audit. Districts showed general improvement in all subject areas except for management information services. Instructional areas tended to receive higher scores than non-instructional areas. There was no positive correlation between the superintendents' perceptions about the audit process and actual compliance scores received, nor was there a relationship between changes in audit scores and perceptions of respondents. There was moderate correlation between superintendents and board members at the p =.05 level. Both groups rated the process as having "very favorable impact." By ranking districts according to achievement scores, local effort tax support, and student enrollment, it was found that districts in the upper quartile in each of these socioeconomic categories also scored higher on the audits. / The investigator concluded that state efforts to provide equal educational opportunity fall short of providing equal educational climates; that the audit process is beneficial, but needs further revision to offset the administrative burden it imposes. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0397. / Major Professor: Richard H. Kraft. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

This research was designed to ascertain the effect of student self-evaluation, teacher evaluation, and feedback, and the absence of formal evaluation of college drafting assignments upon student achievement and knowledge retention, and attitudes of students in drafting technology/CAD. More specifically, the study was designed to test the following hypotheses: (1) no significant difference existed among scores representing achievement of college drafting students experiencing three evaluation approaches, (2) no significant difference existed among the scores representing the cognitive achievement (retention) of college drafting students experiencing three evaluation approaches five weeks after treatment, and, (3) no significant difference existed among the attitude scores of students experiencing different evaluation approaches. / The participants in the study were 39 undergraduate students enrolled in the Industrial Studies 123 Technical Drafting class in the Department of Industrial Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville during the fall semester of the 1990-91 academic year. The students were randomly assigned to the three groups as follows: (1) a control group with no-evaluation; and the two experimental groups, (2) a student self-evaluation group; and (3) a teacher-evaluation group. / A one-way analysis of covariance was utilized to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings and conditions of this study, the following conclusions were made: (1) the no-evaluation and teacher-evaluation groups did demonstrate an increased growth of achievement and knowledge retention over the self-evaluation group; (2) the evaluation method has no effect on the achievement and knowledge retention of college drafting students; and, (3) the attitude of the students toward CAD was found to be very positive. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-04, Section: A, page: 1136. / Major Professor: Hollie B. Thomas. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Performance of Students with Visual Impairments on High-Stakes Tests| A Pennsylvania Report Card

Retrospective pretests provide a potentially useful elaboration on research methodology if they can be shown to be dependable under specific sets of conditions. Previous studies have examined response-shift bias and response-style effects, but less attention has been given to memory distortion associated with the retrospective recall of diverse types of variables. Identifying psychometric characteristics of these measures may help to clarify the picture emerging from retrospective accounts. The present study applied a methodology developed to measure the systematic error (i.e., memory distortion) that may be associated with variables involving a range of recall tasks. The study examined which types of variables account for the least measurement error in retrospective pretests administered at three time points. The types of variables examined in this study include students' self-ratings of academic abilities, self-reported attitudes and opinions about college, mood states, and perceptions of general health. The results of this study indicate that there was no main effect of time on any of the pairs of difference scores, and a moderate level of memory distortion was detected in the three variable types examined. The methodology applied provides an effective approach to understanding the effect of memory distortion on retrospective pretest variables. The author recommends that future applications of this methodology be applied to heterogeneous populations, investigate a range of complex variables, and include an examination of individual subject differences.

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which the interpretation and use of test scores from a school district's mathematics test may be meaningful and valid for making instructional decisions, for measuring growth, and for making accountability decisions. The data used for the study came from six levels of a standardized mathematics test that grouped items into six specific categories to match the district's curriculum. The district's mathematics curriculum referred to the six item categories as "strands." The six strands were Number Sense, Data Analysis, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, and Structure/Logic. The test items were grouped in each test booklet by item categories (strands) and thus formed six strand subtests. Factor analysis was used to examine the structure of each of the six test levels. Findings from the factor analysis indicated that there was more than one dimension (underlying construct) at each test level. Factor loadings were found to group by strand and not by item difficulty. Analysis of variance and correlation procedures were used to gather evidence that was confirmatory in nature to help verify the findings from the factor analysis. An analysis of variance found a significant difference between some of the strands in pairwise comparisons, which supported the findings from the factor analysis indicating that more than one construct (dimension) was being measured. Strand intercorrelation coefficients that were corrected for attenuation showed strong relationships among strands, which supported test unidimensionality. It was concluded that there was evidence to support an overall dimension called mathematics, but that there was also evidence to support other dimensions which reflected the six mathematics strands.

The underrepresentation of ethnic minority students in programs for gifted and talented students is often a result of the identification process. Concerns have been raised through the years about the appropriateness of using standardized tests, especially standardized intelligence tests, with ethnic minority students (Maker, 1996; Richert, 1987). The problems with the use of standardized intelligence tests with ethnic minority students increase the difficulty of identifying gifted students from those populations. Therefore, the underrepresentation of ethnic minority students will persist unless more reliable and valid measures that tap into the intellectual strengths of diverse populations are developed. The DISCOVER assessment developed by Maker, Rogers, and Nielson (1992) seems to hold greater promise than other assessments for identifying ethnic minority students for placement in programs for the gifted. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the comparative validity of the DISCOVER assessment, based on a contemporary theory of human ability, and two commonly administered standardized tests of intelligence, based on traditional views of intelligence, for the purpose of identifying gifted ethnic minority students. The DISCOVER assessment ratings and standardized scores from the WPPSI-R or WISC-III and the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices of 34 participants were used to conduct the comparative validity analysis. Six research questions guided this study. The comparative validity was analyzed through (a) intercorrelations to determine construct validity, (b) correlations between methods of assessment to determine the presence or lack of relationship(s), (c) the predictive validity of the DISCOVER activities. The results of the intercorrelation, correlation, and multiple regression analyses allowed this researcher to conclude that the WPPSI-R or WISC-III and the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices were not comparable to the DISCOVER assessment for the purpose of identifying gifted ethnic minority students. The DISCOVER assessment was found to be a better indicator of students' complex thinking, problem solving, and problem finding abilities. Therefore, the use of the DISCOVER assessment will result in the more equitable identification of highly competent students and should be more widely used among ethnic minority populations.

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between leadership factors and third grade student test scores in math and reading. The leadership factors were General Leadership and Collaborative Leadership. Principal tenure at the site was another leadership variable examined in this study. The 41 schools included in the study had a principal who had served in that capacity at the site for a minimum of four years. The study included 41 elementary schools in a large urban district located in the southwestern United States. The study, was based on the responses of 741 teachers to a district wide survey on leadership, district statistics on principal tenure, and on the SAT-9 reading and math test scores of 2,164 third grade students. A Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple linear regression were used to test the four hypotheses. No significant relationship or predictive power was found between the General Leadership or Collaborative Leadership Factors and the math and reading test scores of the third grade students. No significant relationship or predictive power was found between principal tenure at a site and the math and reading test scores of third grade students. However, principal tenure did have a stronger correlational relationship with third grade math and reading test scores than General Leadership of Collaborative Leadership Factors. This study confirms the importance of the need to continue studying the relationship between leadership variables and student test scores and to further examine the instruments that districts use to assess and inform school leadership about their practice. The statistical results confirm that staff satisfaction is not necessarily a predictor of student test scores. However, the data supports a pattern of high achieving schools also having high staff satisfaction.