Stanford Achievement Test Research Articles

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OCULAR FUNCTIONS AND READING ACHIEVEMENT/REPLY

Students in grades 1 through 6 were assessed on 11 ocular functions. A multivariate correlation was made between these ocular functions and the students' reading ability, as measured on the Stanford Achievement Test. There were no significant multivariate correlations between the ocular functions and the students' reading ability. It was concluded that for students with small heterophorias and no significant refractive errors, a relationship did not exist between ocular functions and reading ability.

Relationships of Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse with School Achievement and Self-Concept

Adolescent victims of child sexual abuse suffer through complex problems of vast proportions. Treatment of these victims is a challenging task facing mental health professionals. Few studies have assessed treatment success in child and adolescent sexual abuse cases. The present investigation used a pretest-posttest format with three measures from the Stanford Achievement Test and self-concept (Piers-Harris) scores to assess the effectiveness of 6 months of psychotherapy with sexually abused girls. Social workers led psychotherapeutic groups like those described by Blick and Porter. The groups offered the girls a supportive environment to gain insights into their difficulties. The study used a comparison group based on gender, age, IQ, and socioeconomic status. Results indicated that the early adolescent sexual abuse victims in treatment made significant gains on all measured areas whereas the comparison group's scores did not change significantly.

A Multitrait-Multimethod Construct Validity Study of the Differential Ability Scales

In a study of the construct validity of composite and selected subtest scores of the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), scores from the DAS, WISC-R, and Stanford Achievement Test were compared for 46 students in a rural school district. The data were analyzed with multitrait-multimethod matrices to investigate convergent and discriminant validity. The results indicate that while some DAS composites and subtests relate closely to their similar WISC-R counterparts, others do not. It is suggested that while both batteries yield adequate measures of general intelligence, different cognitive processes are reflected in the composites and their constituent subtests. The DAS subtests have been shown to have good specificity for the support of profile analysis, but more research is needed to determine what processes contribute to performance on the subtests.

Relationships between chronological age, developmental age, and standardized achievement tests in kindergarten

Chronological age and developmental age have been used to identify readiness for kindergarten entrance. In the current research, chronological age and results of the Gesell School Readiness Test were evaluated as predictors of kindergarten performance as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test. Subjects were 284 children attending kindergarten in the San Luis Coastal School District during the 1986—1987 school year. Results indicate that both chronological and developmental age provide good predictors of Stanford Achievement Test performance in kindergarten. Implications of the current research for setting appropriate entrance policy were explored.

Criterion-Related Validity of the British Ability Scales Short-Form for Black and White Children

Scores for four subtests of the British Ability Scales comprising the Short Form and for the Stanford Achievement Test were compared for a sample of 107 black and white sixth and seventh grade students in the USA. Analysis showed substantial criterion-related validity of the British Ability Scales Short-Form IQ both for the Stanford Complete Battery score and for the Otis-Lennon School Ability Index. Comparison of scores for black and white students showed significant differences on all Stanford scores, on the British Ability Scales Short-Form IQ, and on two subtests, Matrices and Similarities. No race differences were found for the Recall of Digits and the Speed of Information Processing subtests. Significant slope and intercept differences by race indicate that further research on predictive bias is needed.

Predicting the Relative Magnitudes of Validity Coefficients for Four Types of Gain Scores

A set of mathematical relations is introduced which provides a guideline for predicting the rank order of validity coefficients for four types of gain scores. The measures of gain considered are the simple gain score, the residualized change, the base-free measure of change and Lord's estimate of true gain. A large sample data base was used to provide empirical checks of predictions made from the guideline. The sample was comprised of 5987 students from a large public school system in south Florida. These students were administered the Stanford Achievement Test in the fifth grade in 1987 and then again in the sixth grade in 1988. The Mathematics Computation subtest score was used as both the pretest and the posttest. The Mathematics Application subtest score served as the validity criterion. The empirical checks included here were for Normal Curve Equivalent scores derived by using national norms. The rank ordering of the four validity coefficients was perfectly consistent with predictions made from the guideline. Validity coefficients ranged from .22 to .32, with residual scores yielding the highest value.

Criterion-related validity of the WISC-R performance scale with the Stanford achievement test—Hearing-impaired edition

The criterion-related validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Performance scale was tested with the Stanford Achievement Test, Special Edition for Hearing-Impaired Students (SAT-HI). Rank order correlations between WISC-R Performance IQs and SAT-HI subtest scaled scores and percentile ranks were calculated from archival test score data for 83 deaf children enrolled in a residential school ( M=12.6 years, SD=2.3 years). The correlations range between .24 and .57 ( p<.01), with four of five percentile rank p values significantly higher than paired scaled score ps. It is concluded the WISC-R Performance scale has adequate criterion-related validity, and SAT-HI percentile ranks may provide a better metric than scaled scores for use as a criterion.

Using the Stanford Achievement Test with an Adult Offender Population: Scale Limitations

Counselors in a correctional setting must be certain to utilize assessment tests that present an accurate picture of the individual's potential. At least one state corrections system has used the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT; Psychological Corporation, 1983) to make vocational and academic program recommendations. Use of this test became suspect when it was noted that a substantial proportion of men scored at an uncharacteristically high, post high school (PHS) grade level. Using a sample of 580 newly admitted inmates, the SAT Reading and Mathematics Application forms were examined to reveal profound ceiling effects. A suspiciously strong relationship between reading and math raw scores was also reported. A second study (N = 172) confirmed these relationships and found that, controlling for reading level, reported math scores differ as a function of the math booklet being used (i.e., Application or Computation). When PHS scores were removed, these relationships remained. Where local norms are unavailable for a low reading level population, SAT Mathematics Comprehension booklets should be used for vocational counseling purposes. Clients scoring at or above the 10th grade reading level should be tested further with an upper-level achievement test before recommending vocational or college placement.

Comparison of Reading and Listening-Reading Techniques for Administration of Sat Reading Comprehension Subtest: Justification for the Bypass Approach

The Advanced Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) Reading Comprehension subtest was administered to a group of 36 Caucasian learning disabled children (6 girls and 30 boys) in Grades 7 through 9 who were classified by the clinical Lexical Paradigm as either good readers or poor readers. Using the standardized (silent reading) method of administration, these learning disabled children all scored below the normative (50th percentile) level of performance and the poor readers scored substantially lower than good readers. When the child was allowed to listen and read silently, however, while the test material was read aloud, both poor readers and good readers showed significantly improved performance. This improvement which allowed the average of the poor readers to approach the normative level and the good readers to exceed it, supports the argument that a “bypass approach” to education of poor readers which includes listening-reading tasks might greatly enhance their learning and performance in school-related reading tasks.

Predicting Later Academic Achievement from Kindergarten Scores on the Metropolitan Readiness Tests and the Lollipop Test

The long-term predictive validities of the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) and the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness were examined. The achievement of 246 students in reading and mathematics as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test and teacher assigned grades in first, third, and fourth grades was predicted from kindergarten administrations of each of these test batteries. All multiple correlations for the Lollipop Test and the MRT were found to be significant and similar in magnitude. Perhaps particularly noteworthy, was that the Lollipop Test, a shorter screening instrument, performed as well as the lengthier MRT in predicting school achievement.

The Suinn Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-E) for Hispanic Elementary School Students

The Suinn Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, Elementary Form (MARS-E) is described with a sample of 105 Hispanic students. These elementary school students were from six public schools. The test is composed of 26 items that measure anxiety in specific life activities. Results indicated that the MARS-E scores are correlated with scores on a mathematics test, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). Similarities in the average level of mathematics anxiety were found between Hispanics and the normative non-Hispanic group, but Hispanics scored lower on the SAT achievement test. Additional normative information is also provided to enable others to continue research with the MARS-E.

The effects of schools and their curricula on the reading and mathematics achievement of hearing impaired students

This paper reports the result of a national study of achievement patterns of hearing impaired students. Data were collected by Gallaudet University's Center for Assessment and Demographic Studies during its 1983 norming of the Stanford Achievement Test with a sample of approximately 8,000 hearing impaired students. Teachers of a randomly selected subsample of over 2,000 students in both special schools and mainstream programs responded to specific questions regarding school and curricula. Factors examined in this study include time spent on learning tasks, reading and mathematics curricula content exposure, grade placement relative to other hearing impaired students of the same age, and classroom integration with hearing students. Multiple regression analysis, controlling for fixed demographic factors, demonstrates the relative contributions of these alterable factors to the prediction of achievement. Results indicate the overall importance of classroom factors, as well as some diminishing returns. Observed interactions for some factors indicate differential effects on population subgroups.

Suinn Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for Elementary School Students (MARS-E): Psychometric and Normative Data

The Suinn Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, Elementary Form (MARS-E) is described along with validity and reliability information. The scale is composed of 26 items which assess the degree to which students experience anxiety in specific life situations. Psychometric data were obtained on 1,119 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from six schools. Results indicated that the MARS-E scores are significantly correlated with achievement scores from the Stanford Achievement Test on mathematics skills. Factor analysis identified two factors, named mathematics test anxiety, and mathematics performance evaluation anxiety.

A Validation Study of a Measure of Musical Creativity

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the Measures of Creativity in Sound and Music (MCSM), a test developed by Cecilia Wang, and to compare MCSM scores with the subjects' academic achievement scores, sex, and age in months with teacher ratings of the subjects' creativity. The author randomly selected two boys and two girls from each of eight second-grade classrooms ( N = 32), and two judges administered and scored the MCSM. An author-constructed Likert scale rating form was used to collect ratings of each subject's musical creativity and general creativity as determined by the music specialist and classroom teacher, respectively. The author obtained Stanford Achievement Test (StAT) composite scores for each subject from school records and recorded the subject's age in months and sex. Interjudge reliability coefficients for the MCSM subscores of fluency and imagination were .99 and .90, respectively. Interitem reliability coefficients ranged from .83 to .92. Teacher ratings of student creativity were correlated more highly with StAT scores than with MCSM scores, and the intercorrelation between the ratings of the music and classroom teachers was not significant. Differences in neither age nor sex accounted for significant differences in scores on the MCSM. Ratings of music and classroom teachers were significant predictors of musical fluency and accounted for 20% of the variance. None of the variables was a significant predictor of musical imagination.

Intellectually Gifted Deaf Adolescents: Academic and Behavioral Correlates

At the third annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Kiawah Island, SC, Patrick Brookhouser, MD, Boys Town National Institute, Omaha, presented his findings regarding academic and behavioral correlates in intellectually gifted deaf adolescents. There is a linear correlation in hearing children between intelligence tests and school performance. The verbal aspect is very predictive. In deaf children, this association has not been addressed in the literature. In 109 intellectually gifted (nonverbal IQ, more than 130; average verbal IQ, 102) deaf (average hearing loss, 105 dB) adolescents (average age, 14.5 years) participating in a summer camp, correlations involving both verbal and nonverbal IQ and academic achievement using the Stanford Achievement Test for Deaf Individuals were explored. Social adjustments and behavioral characteristics were also studied. The cause of hearing loss in this population was representative of all causes, and there was a slight tendency in children with genetic hearing loss

Communication apprehension and academic achievement among elementary and middle school students

This study examined the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and academic achievement (AA) among 1053 elementary and middle school students in a midwestern community. CA was operationally defined as scores on the Measure of Elementary Communication Apprehension (Garrison & Garrison, 1979). AA was operationally defined as scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. CA and AA were found to be significantly and negatively related. On three tests of achievement (mathematics, language, and reading), students high in CA demonstrated the lowest levels of learning. In the case of mathematics, students low in CA had achievement scores that were 23% higher than students high in CA.

Special education screening system: group achievement test.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of standardized group achievement testing in screening and identifying mildly handicapped students for referral to special education programs. Stanford Achievement Test scores of students already placed in either regular or special education programs in four elementary schools were arranged according to four cutoff points: 20th, 15th, 10th, and 5th percentiles. At the 10th percentile cutoff, 71% of the special education and 97% of the regular education students were correctly identified. These results were cross-validated for students at two other elementary schools. The potential uses of this identification method as a preliminary screening device are discussed—particularly at a lower cutoff point of the 5th percentile.

Prediction of Elementary School Achievement from Preschool Temperament: Three Studies

The utility of the Temperament Assessment Battery — Teacher Form (TAB) in predicting academic achievement over intervals of 1 to 4 years was investigated using samples of young children aged 46 to 94 months. The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), and the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT) were used as measures of achievement in studies 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Also, teacher assigned grades and data reflecting scholastic aptitude were collected for each study. Results revealed that even with the effects of aptitude controlled, temperament ratings (Distractibility, Persistence, and Activity) were predictive of group measures of achievement (i.e., SAT and MAT) and teacher assigned grades. Results document the utility of temperament ratings in predicting achievement over considerable time intervals and lends support to the incremental validity of the Teacher Form of the TAB.

Relationship between the clinical components of the Boder test of reading-spelling patterns and the Stanford achievement test: Validity of the Boder

This study investigated the concurrent validity of the diagnostic components of the Boder Test of Reading-Spelling Patterns. The Boder components of Reading Grade Level, Reading Quotient, Percent of Known Words Spelled Correctly, and the Percent of Unknown Words With Good Phonetic Equivalents were compared with group-administered reading and spelling measures from the Stanford Achievement Reading Test (SAT). The sample included 87 reading-disabled children, ranging in age from 8-4 to 12-5, who were receiving services in a reading disability program. The results indicated that the Boder Reading Grade Level significantly correlated with all SAT scores, the Reading Quotient with all SAT scores except Spelling, and the Percent of Unknown Words with good phonetic equivalents to the SAT variables of Vocabulary, Reading A, Word Study Skills, and Total Reading. The Percent of Known Words Spelled Correctly did not significantly relate to any of the SAT measures. Although these findings provide some support for the concurrent validity of the Boder, concerns were raised regarding the other clinical components of this test.

The Validity of Informal Reading Comprehension Measures

The purpose of this study was to assess the criterion, construct, and concurrent validity of four informal reading comprehension measures: question answering tests, recall measures, oral passage reading tests, and cloze techniques. Mildly and moderately handicapped middle and junior high school boys (N = 70) were administered the informal measures in one sitting, with four passages equally represented across the four measures and with the administration order of measures counterbalanced. Criterion tests, the Reading Comprehension and Word Study Skills subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test, also were administered in a separate sitting. Results indicated that the correct oral reading rate score demonstrated the strongest criterion validity, with adequate construct and concurrent validity. A second acceptable index was the written recall measure. Implications for designing reading comprehension monitoring procedures are discussed.