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The Learning Academy (TLA) at the University of South Florida is a 30-week transition program for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 18 and 25. The program provides services, supports, and experiential opportunities, with the aim of enhancing skills that will prepare students to succeed in the workplace and postsecondary education settings. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University for Massachusetts Boston conducted a one-year evaluation of TLA to explore its essential programmatic elements, and the ways in which the experience influenced student transformation. The evaluation included a thorough observation of program structure, curriculum, daily practices, and history, as well as detailed interviews with TLA staff, students, parents, mentors, and external collaborators. The purpose of this brief is to share the lessons learned from TLA to inspire similar programs and other transition professionals striving to optimize transition outcomes for students with ASD. Findings from ICI's evaluation showed that student transformation was influenced by three core programmatic elements: (1) Developing knowledge and self-awareness; (2) Having opportunities to practice knowledge gained in the classroom; and (3) Engaging in an environment of safety and support. [This report was co-authored by ThinkWork! at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston. Funding for this project was provided by The Learning Academy (TLA) at the University of South Florida.]

Future Blogs was developed through collaboration between the Royal Society of Chemistry and The Brightside Trust. It is an innovative e-mentoring scheme that links pupils studying chemistry with mentors from universities or industry and is based on the Bright Journals e-mentoring programme (an e-mentoring scheme targeted at 14-18 year olds interested in health care and medicine). The role of the mentor is to develop a supportive relationship with their mentee and to help their mentee become more aware of their potential to succeed through providing support and guidance in understanding the range of educational and career choices open to them. The scheme is aimed at pupils from years 9-13, particularly those from a widening participation background. It targets pupils with an interest in science who are considering furthering their chemical knowledge, be it to GCSE, A-level or degree level. As well as e-mentoring, the scheme also provides an extensive website with information relevant to pupils studying science or chemistry, or considering future science or chemistry related careers. This report presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of the Future Blogs scheme undertaken by the National Foundation of Educational Research (NFER) between February 2008 and July 2008. The aims of the evaluation were to develop a greater understanding of the views of the pupils and teachers who had participated in the scheme and to assess their opinions on the relative success of the scheme. Pupils were asked about about their academic background including their interest and aptitude towards chemistry; the training and support they had received to use Future Blogs; their use of the Future Blogs website and opinions on the different features; their use of, and opinions on, the e-mentoring scheme; the impact of participating in the scheme on their attitudes towards chemistry and their future career plans; and their recommendations for future use. Teachers were asked about how they were introduced to the scheme, including reasons for participating; how they were trained; their opinions on pupil usage of the Future Blogs site and the training pupils received; the support they had provided to pupils; and lessons learned and their recommendations. The report makes recommendations to improve: (1) project management and delivery; (2) the structure and organisation of Future Blogs; (3) pupil selection and the promotion of Future Blogs; and (4) the website. (Contains 5 tables and 9 footnotes.)

This article presents a literature review of pertinent research that has dealt with the relationships between music education and emergent literacy in preschoolers during the past 20 years. In total, 13 correlational and quasi-experimental studies were summarized and compared. These interdisciplinary studies have demonstrated that music education may effectively contribute to young children's awakening to reading and writing, whether or not learning difficulties are an issue. (Contains 8 notes.)

This two-year study explored the academic lives of three boys in a combined fifth-sixth grade classroom. As these case studies illustrate, viewing students' academic worlds from multiple perspectives can lead to more accurate, comprehensive evaluations and efficacious adaptations of students' learning environments. Richard Snow's aptitude theory and Robert Sternberg's learning styles framework provided frameworks for data analysis and interpretation (Snow, Corno, Cronbach, Kupermintz, Lohman, Mandinach, Porteus, Talbert, 2002; Sternberg, 1997). (Contains 1 table.)

Richard E. Snow conceived of an individuals' performance as the result of a transaction between her aptitudes and the particular characteristics of the situation in which that performance occurs over time. By aptitudes he meant the cognitive and motivational resources that an individual brings to the situation. By situation he meant the characteristics of a particular environment that afforded or impeded that assisted or constrained certain courses of goal-related action. When Snow applied his ideas to achievement testing situations, he recognized that test performance resulted from a students background and intellectual history, as well as the cognitive and motivational resources the student cobbled together to respond to a series of situation-embedded test tasks (e.g., multiple-choice items or performance assessments). In essence, Snow's idea was that individuals achievement test performance depended not just on their knowledge and abilities, but rather on a full spectrum of interrelated, situation-relevant cognitive and motivational resources that transacted with the affordance, constraint, and demand structures of the testing tasks themselves. From this reasoning and from empirical findings he concluded that a new multivariate approach to validating interpretations of achievement test scores was needed. This document sets forth in more detail Snow's new aptitude theory as it applies to multivariate test validity and then described the design of the High School Study that was conducted as a step in exploring his ideas about validity. (Contains 3 tables and 34 references.) (Author/SLD)

Richard E. Snow, working from his new aptitude theory, advocated a multidimensional approach to validating the construct of academic achievement. This report briefly describes Snows recommended approach and then summarizes new evidence from recent studies in terms of three related themes: (1) multidimensionality of science achievement; (2) transaction between achievement and situations; and (3) multidimensional approach to construct validity. Overall, studies in this series established the predictive validity of several key motivational constructs for science achievement, demonstrated how the relations between these constructs and achievement varies as a function of reasoning dimensions and assessment, and suggested how alternative assessment methods (constructed response and performance assessments) shed light on the notion of multidimensional validity. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/SLD)

This study investigated whether cooperative learning groups with the highest mean levels of knowledge of the research process, as measured via midterm and final examination scores, produced the best cooperative learning projects, as measured by the quality of research article critiques and proposals. It also explored whether heterogeneity was related to the quality of the group projects, and whether the size of the group was related to the quality of the output produced. Participants were 275 graduate students enrolled in several sections of an introductory level educational research course who, through a modified stratified random assignment procedure, formed 70 groups ranging in size from 2 to 7. Using group as the unit of analysis revealed a small-to-moderate positive relationship between the mean midterm and final examination scores and scores on the article critiques and proposals, a finding suggesting a "Matthew Effect" with respect to group outcomes. A positive relationship was found between degree of group heterogeneity at the midterm level and scores on the projects. Also, a quadratic trend defined the relationship found between group size and performance on the article critique. Finally, a treatment (i.e. group heterogeneity level) times aptitude (i.e., mean midterm group performance) was found with respect to the article critiques produced. (Contains 1 figure and 65 references.) (Author/SLD)

Interests and abilities have been cited as important concepts in the career guidance of adolescents. While it is important for students to understand these constructs independently, particularly if they are not congruent, their complex relationship can make it difficult to combine the information into career directions. This paper considers a computerized approach to combining aptitudes and interests into a single report that can be used by the student and as an aid to school counselors. The Ball Career System, an aptitude based career exploration tool for high school students, includes a means to connect student's aptitude profile to occupational clusters in the Aptitude Pattern Indicator (API). Ninth graders (N=1,633; 50.4% male; 49.6% female) from 3 high schools in the Midwest completed the Ball Aptitude Battery to compare interests and the API aptitude recommendations. Each student's API aptitude recommendation was compared to his or her API interest recommendation. The results show evidence of gender and aptitude differences across the API interest clusters. As interests and aptitudes do not have a simple relationship, students need to understand both. A report that could combine the two would help simplify career exploration, both for the student and the school counselor. (JDM)

A knowledge monitoring assessment (KMA) was developed and evaluated. The KMA, which evaluates how well students distinguish between what they know and do not know by comparing their knowledge estimates to test performance, is partially performance based and may be group or computer administered and objectively scored. Participants were 462 academically gifted high school students in a summer enrichment program. Mathematical and verbal analogy KMAs were developed. Results confirm prior findings that the KMA has significant but moderate relationships with scholastic aptitude, and that these relationships are somewhat higher than those that study skills and metacognitive self-report scales have with scholastic aptitude. Results also suggest that the KMA has low relationships with self-report measures of metacognition and study skills, which are highly related to one another. Results do indicate that knowledge monitoring has significant relationship with school grades, and that accurate monitoring is an important variable in school learning. Evidence supports the construct validity of the KMA and its usefulness in the study of metacognition. (Contains 5 tables and 24 references.) (SLD)

Among the constructs commonly considered by career counselors are vocational interests, aptitudes, and personality variables. Although the predictive power of each of these domains with respect to successful occupational functioning has been demonstrated, little research has been conducted on the nature of their interaction. The interrelatedness of vocational interests, aptitudes, and personality traits was evaluated using a modified version of the Inter-Domain model postulated by Lowman (1991, 1993). Participants were 101 people aged 16 or over who were enrolled in state employment and training programs. These subjects were given a battery of four standardized psychometric instruments: (1) Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Fifth Edition (R. Cattell, H. Eber, and M. Tatsuoka, 1970); (2) Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (A. Edwards, 1959); (3) Self-Directed Search, Fourth Education (J. Holland, 1985); and (4) General Aptitude Test Battery (U.S. Department of Labor, 1982). Together these measured each of the three dimensions. Descriptive and discriminant analyses offered partial support for postulated construct relationships. Prediction of vocational interest category by personality, aptitude, and demographic variables was possible for some of the Holland categories. Implications for testing practices for youth and adults in secondary or postsecondary educational settings are noted. (Contains 6 tables and 51 references.) (SLD)

The factors that influence the performance of undergraduate students in introductory biology courses were studied, considering cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral factors. From 612 participants volunteering, 52 consistent high performers and 57 consistent low performers were selected. Information was collected on their study habits, metacognitive strategies, cognitive ability, class attendance, and the amount of support services they used with reference to each of four tests taken in the course. Overall, the most powerful predictor was the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal section (SATV). The second most discriminating variable was the students' own predictions of examination performance, a measure of metacognition. Another obvious discriminating factor was class attendance. Implications of considering the SATV as a measure of reading comprehension or as a measure of ability are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 24 references.) (SLD)

The relationship between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised (CELF-R) was investigated in 53 third graders from students in the 15 educational cooperatives across Arkansas. Additional information regarding race, academic achievement, and aptitude was gathered for each child. A Pearson product-moment was calculated to determine the relationship between the WISC-III and the CELF-R. The results indicated a statistically significant relationship between the Full Scale IQ of the WISC-III and the Total Language Score of the CELF-R (r=0.724, p<0.001). Statistically significant relationships were also found between the language achievement scores and the CELF-R, the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test-6th Edition, and the Full Scale IQ, plus the various subtests of each measure. An analysis of variance indicated no significant differences in mean IQ scores across educational cooperatives. Results indicate a higher correlation between the WISC-III and CELF-R than had been found between the previous WISC-Revised and the CELF-R. (Contains 2 tables and 15 references.) (Author/SLD)

The use of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) and its interpretation in educational use are discussed. To measure intelligence, Wechsler believed one must measure the various aptitudes that contribute to the total behavior of the individual. The WISC-III has six verbal subtests and seven performance subtests. The verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) is obtained by adding the scaled scores of all the verbal subtests except Digit Span, and the performance IQ (PIQ) is derived from five of the performance subtests. The PIQ is not as good a predictor of school achievement as is the VIQ. Indexes derived from the WISC-III subtests include: (1) verbal comprehension; (2) perceptual organization; (3) freedom from distractibility; and (4) processing speed. Subtest scatter and possible causes for significantly high and low subtest scores are explored and include reasons for differences between VIQ and PIQ. Factors that have been identified based on the WISC editions are listed, and ways in which subtest scores may suggest possible brain damage and emotional disturbance are reviewed. A worksheet is described that can enable the evaluator to examine a number of WISC-III factors for making placement and curriculum recommendations. (Contains 44 references.) (SLD)

This study examined the effects of instructional control and aptitude composition on performance, interaction, and attitudes during a computer-based cooperative science lesson. A sample of 152 fifth and sixth grade students completed the instruction either under the learner control (LC) or the program control (PC) treatment. In the LC treatment, students exercised control over the amount, review, and sequence of instruction. Students in the PC treatment followed a predetermined instructional path. At the end of the lesson, all students completed a posttest and an attitude questionnaire. They also indicated their confidence by predicting the score on the posttest. An identical test was administered two weeks later for measuring retention. Time for each group and interaction in representative groups were also recorded. Results suggested that both heterogeneous grouping and learner control had significant effect on learning, time on task, verbal interaction, and attitudes. Working in heterogeneous groups increased confidence more than working in homogeneous groups. High-ability students outperformed low-ability students on all dependent variables, except attitudes. The implications for designing microcomputer software and future research are discussed. Statistical tables showing means and standard deviations for scores of achievement, confidence, retention, attitude, instructional time, and verbal interaction are appended. (Contains 46 references.) (Author/KRN)

Researchers of gender differences in computer-related behaviors have reported a confusing picture. When asked which sex is more positive toward computers, more apt at using computers, and more likely to use a computer, one would be best advised to answer "it depends." It depends on what attitudes you are measuring, what skills you are assessing, what the computer is being used for, and what age group you are sampling. This review offers two suggestions to reduce this confusion. The first is to clean up the data so that we can be sure that the results reported are "real" differences. The second is to switch from a more traditional quantitative, construct-based approach to a qualitative, dynamic approach that looks at processes of human-computer interaction. Several examples of the kind of useful theoretical and practical information that can be gleaned from a more process-oriented style are offered. By addressing process, researchers can address and alter the inequities that exist regarding the use of computers. (79 references) (Author)

In recent years the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) files have become recognized as a valuable resource for studies of talent flow, but the length and complexity of the files have made it costly to extract the information. A special GRE talent flow database was designed, covering the years 1978 to 1987, with three different structures: (1) an individual examinee file with one record for each subject; (2) a matrix in which rows correspond to intended graduate fields of study and columns correspond to undergraduate majors; and (3) a matrix that collapses the 100 specific major fields into 10 general fields. All three databases are available on computer files for public use, and the matrixes are available in hard copy. Among the many findings is the steady growth in engineering, physical sciences, and mathematics as graduate fields, as contrasted with the decline and subsequent upswing since 1984 of the other broad fields. The common belief that as numbers entering a field decline, student quality rises, and as numbers increase, student quality declines was not supported. Overall, test takers appeared to choose graduate fields in keeping with their relative verbal and quantitative skills. Five appendixes present supplemental information about the data files and their format. Five tables (39 subtables) present study findings. (Contains 23 references.) (SLD)

This study compared preparing science teachers' attitudes towards tests, evaluation and mathematics to those of preparing non-science teachers (N=76) in an upper division psychology course at a state college in eastern Massachusetts. These three attitudes were measured using semantic differentials that assessed both the cognitive and affective dimensions of these attitudes. Although preparing science teachers had better attitudes towards tests and mathematics than preparing non-science teachers, subject-matter area only accounted for 6% of the variance observed in these two attitudes, whereas aptitude accounted for 18% of the variance observed in these two attitudes. The variance accounted for by subject-matter area, moreover, was mostly attributable to aptitude. Preparing teachers attitude towards tests were negative in general (3.6 on a 1 to 7 scale), whereas their overall attitude towards mathematics was 4.3 and their overall attitude towards evaluation was 5.2. Tests, therefore, are a highly potent affective stimulus for preparing teachers. The mean level findings in this study were the same as our findings in our previous studies. Findings are discussed in terms of alternative theories and views of the data and the implications of these findings are discussed. (Author)

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between aspiring educational administrators' graduate school admissions test performances and their assessed skill dimensions are presented in this paper. Specifically, the study sought to determine the relationship between graduate admissions test scores, as measured by the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and the applicants' skill dimensions, as measured by the Assessment Center Project of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The assessment enter obtained samples of participants' job-related behaviors to predict their administrative aptitudes. Methodology involved analysis of the admissions test and assessment scores of 121 participants. Findings indicate that admissions test score did not reflect the applicants' job-related behaviors, though those with high admissions test scores were almost twice as likely to receive high on-the-job ratings. The recommendation is made to develop a standardized, national graduate entrance test to assess analytic ability and administrative aptitude. One table is included. (Contains 25 references.) (LMI)

The Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council developed a Volunteer Evaluation System. Its objective was to create a way to gain knowledge of volunteers' skills and place them in appropriate volunteer positions. A five-step system was created to collect information about volunteers at set intervals and pass it along to appropriate staff members. The steps were inquiry/orientation; interview; volunteer training through a workshop; testing of the 12-hour probationary period; and an ongoing review system, with a scheduled review after every 50 hours of instruction. A new tutor data application form was also developed. Space was provided for comments by the volunteers regarding training and the five-step process and observations by the staff of the volunteer's potential. An objective that was not achieved was the provision of a process for staff, volunteer, and student to assess the program's procedures. (Appendixes include the volunteer intake form; an information packet with volunteer job descriptions, workshop schedule, workshop registration form, mission statement, history, and volunteer data form/application; questionnaire; and volunteer data form.) (YLB)

A special effort was undertaken in 1988 to increase the number of females in the University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP), a program of accelerated mathematics instruction for elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school students. As part of this effort, attitudinal data were collected from participants. The attitudinal scales that were used are described. Gender differences and attitudinal changes during the students' first year in the program (from the fall of 1988 to the spring of 1989) were studied. Seven attitude scales were developed to measure: (1) interest; (2) motivation; (3) confidence; (4) readiness for taking the mathematics course; (5) support; (6) priorities; and (7) stereotyped attitudes. Subjects were 62 males and 29 females. Mean gender differences for data from the fall tended to favor males on five of the seven scales. However, the only significant differences were that males were more confident than females and females were more ready for independent study. Over the year, both sexes exhibited a negative change in attitude. Implications for selection of female students who would be good risks for continuing in the UMTYMP are discussed. Five tables present study data, and the attitude survey is provided in Appendix A. (SLD)

To ascertain whether cerebral lateralities can be considered aptitudes or individual difference measures within an aptitude-treatment-interaction (ATI) framework, hemispheric asymmetries and cognitive psychometric tests were administered to 50 right-handed, Caucasian, male Navy recruits. Principal factor analysis with varimax rotation was computed for these measures. A major portion of the variability in the data was attributed to cerebral lateralities either acting independently or interactively with cognitive attributes. Their proven construct validity and importance as individual difference indices suggest that hemispheric asymmetries can be considered "aptitudes" within an ATI context. However, a number of conceptual problems, in addition to methodological difficulties, may limit the pedagogical payoff from ATI and asymmetry research. A four-page reference list is included. (Author/LMM)

A study investigating interactions between imagery instructions and aptitude variables is presented. One group consisting of seven fifth-grade classes was given imagery instructions in the reading of a short text, while another group read the text in a regular way. Three different outcomes covering different types of learning were registered. As aptitude variables tests of verbal ability and spatial (or imagery) ability were used. The data analysis indicated that for the girls there were differences between the treatment groups among the aptitude variables; the results for the girls had thus to be left aside. A positive effect of imagery instructions was found for boys high both in verbal and imagery ability with respect to the acquisition of simple terms. For other outcomes and groups of subjects either no effect or a negative effect was found. (Author)

Results pertaining to methodological aspects of an aptitude-treatment interaction study are presented. One treatment group in the study was given imagery instructions, the other had no imagery instructions. Each treatment group consisted of seven fifth-grade classes. Among the aptitude variables there were two versions of a paired-associates learning task. Within-class analyses and analyses where class effects were allowed to have influence were conducted. In the latter analyses there were several significant aptitude-treatment interactions with subscores derived from the paired-associates tasks, but this was not the case in the within-class analyses. The interactions found are interpreted as being consequences of class effects with respect to the errors of measurement. (Author)