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Item banks offer a different approach to test development than that of the more traditional item specification method. This study was designed as an initial comparative investigation in the Area. Fourth grade math and reading tests were developed using both items written from item specifications and items drawn from an existing item bank. Four separate panels were formed to construct the tests and their development activities were documented for time and cost comparisons. Psychometric properties of the four tests were also compared although no consistent results between the two general methods were found. Finally, overall quality and content coverage of the tests were judged by classroom teachers. The report is divided into five major sections. The introduction includes a statement of the problem under investigation in the study, a review of related literature, and a statement of the current status of item banking in education. The second section, Design of the Study, describes the plans for the study. The third section, Conduct of the Study, explains how the study actually was conducted, showing when and how the actual implementation differed from the planned implementation. The fourth section presents Results of the Study. The last section discusses what has been learned from the research and talks about Implications for Future Test Development Efforts, which include (1) necessity of reading level indicator from reading passages; (2) the number of items available in a reading passage; and (3) information concerning the difficulty of items within the bank. A number of appendices include the materials developed as part of this study. (Author/GK)

An investigation of techniques used to maximize response rates was the purpose of this study. Variables included perceived threat of questionnaire, questionnaire length, cover letter approach, follow-up correspondence, stamped/unstamped return envelope, and anonymity. The sample comprised 4,608 college faculty. Three analyses of response rates were performed at different points in time. There were no significant differences in response rate for the three levels of questionnaire threat, two lengths (in pages) of questionnaire, two forms of return envelope, or two levels of anonymity. Questionnaires with fewer items were returned more often after the initial mailing. Typed cover letters with a personal appeal elicited higher response rates. Follow-up letters with another questionnaire enclosed increased response rates. On the basis of the data, use of a follow-up letter with another questionnaire enclosed, a typed cover letter with a personal appeal, and inclusion of an unstamped return envelope is recommended. (Author/CK)

College-level political science teachers were surveyed regarding the character of the introductory political theory course and their attitudes toward including political theory in the curriculum. Findings indicate that political theory has become a dynamic and valuable element in the curriculum, following a decline in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. (Author/DB)

An attempt to define the meaning--within a dynamic framework--of the emerging global political process focuses on changes brought about by the increasing use of technology, especially electronic technology. The book is divided into five major parts. The first deals with the impact of the scientific-technological revolution on world affairs in general. The second part examines how this revolution has affected the content, the style, and format of man's political outlook on his global reality, with particular reference to the changing role of ideology. In the third part, the relevance of the philosophy of communism to the problems of modernity is assessed. The fourth part focuses on the United States and seeks to define the thrust of change and the historical meaning of the current American transition. The fifth part outlines in very broad terms the general directions that America might take in order to make an effective response to the previously discussed foreign and domestic dilemmas. The system of education suggested in this section includes the wide-spread use of technologies such as television and computers to provide continuous educational opportunities spread throughout a lifetime, rather than the present educational system which concentrates education into one time span and one locality. (JY)