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This study investigates the relationship of selected measures of proprioception to measures of physical growth, motor performance, and academic achievement in young children. Measures were obtained from 321 boys and girls attending kindergarten and first and second grade. Sample correlation matrices were computed on all variables at each grade level. Multivariate analysis of variance procedures were employed to determine grade and sex differences in performance on the proprioception tests. Multivariate multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the relationships between each of the dependent variables and the set of proprioception tests. Regression equations were established for the criterion dependent variables. Significant intergrade differences were found for performance on three of the proprioception tests. No significant performance differences due to sex were found for any of the proprioception tests at any grade level. Intercorrelations between proprioception scores and the measures of physical growth, motor performance, and academic achievement reached significance most frequently with the thickness discrimination and static balance tests. Significant intercorrelations between proprioception and academic achievement measures were most frequent at the kindergarten level and decreased with each succeeding grade. The predictive ability of the proprioception measures was greatest at the first-grade level. (Author)

The effects of a perceptually oriented physical education program (PPE) on perceptual-motor ability and academic ability were studied using kindergarten and first-grade children. The four groups of kindergarten children varied the number of periods of PPE per week which then met--0, 1, 2, and 3 times per week. The four groups of first-grade children varied the amount of time per period for the PPE program--0, 20, 30, and 40 minutes per period twice a week. After 15 weeks, each of the three first-grade PPE groups was found to be significantly better than the control group in perceptual-motor ability. A significant linear trend in the data was also found. No significant differences were found among the first-grade groups in academic ability. There were also no significant differences among the kindergarten groups in either perceptual-motor ability or academic ability. (Author)

The purpose of the Enrichment of Teacher and Counselor Competencies in Career Education Project (ETC Project) was to develop, evaluate, and disseminate: (1) Career Education Curriculum guides which result in the integration of positive values and attitudes toward work, self-awareness, and development of decision making skills; and awareness of occupational opportunities; (2) sample teaching learning modules by fusing and coordinating academic and occupation concepts and utilizing multimedia instructional tools; (3) a design of K-6 career education instructional system adaptable to any elementary instructional program. The project consisted of five phases: (1) search, (2) formulation of objectives, (3) curriculum guides, (4) field testing, and (5) dissemination and utilization. A discussion of the evaluation of the project includes the evaluation instruments. The survey of the findings covers the areas of construct and content validity, administrative feasibility and product usability, and student learning gain. The project's summaries and recommendations are discussed briefly and also the ETC staff impact on career education through various related activities. Appendixes include a master index of infusion strategy content and a 94-page third party evaluation of the project. (Author/BP)

The Child Parent Education Centers, funded through Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965, are administered by the Chicago Board of Education in areas characterized by a high density of low-income families. Approximately 2100 children, ages three through nine, are enrolled in the 11 centers which offer up to six years of education including two years of preschool education, kindergarten, and primary grades one, two, and three. The Child Parent Education Centers have the purpose of building, in early childhood, a strong foundation for cognitive and affective growth. The centers develop factors contributing to this foundation with programs using multiple techniques and approaches including: (1) direct parent involvement in the center program and in activites designed to meet parent needs; (2) elimination of factors, such as social and health problems, that may interfere with successful learning experiences; (3) use of learning materials which incorporate a specific learning approach; (4) structuring readiness and reading programs so the frequent feedback is available; and (5) directed experiences that contribute to skill development. Participants in the two year preschool program are selected from three and four year old children residing in the individual attendance areas. (Author/JM)

Cultural community based definitions of giftedness were obtained in survey interviews with 300 Mexican Americans in three Texas cities and incorporated into a behavior rating scale and an adjectival scale (for parents) to identify the gifted and talented among 108 bilingual Mexican American children in kindergarten-grade 3. The children were nominated by teachers and administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Verbal and Figural Form A; and the De Avila Cartoon Conservation Scales. Fifty-four children were rated on the behavior and adjectival scales by parents. Thirty-four children were judged gifted according to results on at least one of the five tests. Parentally rated scales were available for 22 of the 34 gifted students. Some of the results from interviews revealed that Mexican Americans believe giftedness requires verve and style as well as intelligence; and that the gifted display traits such as using imagination freely, being more active and aware, and associating more with adults. Multivariate discriminate analysis of the 43-item behavioral rating scale indicated significant differentiation between the gifted and nongifted groups. Individual items on the behavior rating and adjectival scales also discriminated between the two groups. (Included are original and revised versions of the behavior rating scale and the adjectival scales, a summary of techniques for identifying gifted minority children, and the community survey in English and Spanish.) (MC)

This study determines the factor structure of motor performance in children attending kindergarten and first and second grades. Forty-three tests of physical size and fine and gross motor skills were administered to a stratified random sample of children who attended the public schools of Battle Creek, Michigan in 1969. The sample involved 100 boys and girls, respectively, at each of the three grades (total N=600). Intercorrelations of the test items were determined by grade and sex, and the intercorrelation matrices were subjected to factor analysis. The principal components solutions were extracted and rotated according to the Varimax Criterion proposed by Kaiser. Differences in the factor structures were noted between sexes and grade levels. In general, the factors that accounted for most of the total variance across the three grades were body structure (height and breadth), body size (girths and skinfolds), gross hand-eye coordination, fine hand-eye coordination, static balance, dynamic balance, grip strength, coordination of gross movements, and ocular coordination. A 19-item bibliography is included, and statistics regarding body size, body structure, hand-eye coordination, gross motor coordination, dynamic balance, static balance, ocular coordination, grip strength, rating of aggression, and social development are appended. (Author)

Described is a proposed graduate program to train nursery school, kindergarten, and primary grade educational personnel in a pluralistic social context for the purpose of reducing the number of children in need of special educational services. Program assumptions include causes of behavior such as the interaction of the internalized sets of concepts held by children with the external factors of home and school. A program format is recommended which includes curriculum content focusing on understanding the child's self through study of child rearing practices and cultural pluralism. Listed are 24 program objectives such as the development of awareness and appreciation of individual differences among children. The schedule for a typical week includes field work experiences and class participation. Noted is the involvement of community members. Compared are six modes of program evaluation such as gathering empirical evidence on pupil progress and evaluating the rationale on which a particular program is based. An evaluation design is proposed which would include provisions to collect empirical data, gather information to evaluate the program rationale, and assess the motivational and attitudinal variables of the program. Implementation and feedback phases involve activities such as taking standardized tests prior to and following the program. (DB)

The technical report provides preliminary findings on the academic achievement of over 9,000 kindergarten through grade 3 children (78 percent economically disadvantaged) involved in the Follow Through program, a structured program of academic instruction based on the principles and materials (DISTAR) of S. Engelmann and W. Becker. The following results are reported: (1) poor children starting the program in the kindergarten leave third grade with average grade level scores on the Wide Range Achievement test of 5.21 in reading, 3.86 in arithmetic, and 3.74 in spelling; (2) poor children starting the program in first grade leave third grade with average grade level scores of 4.53 in reading, 3.55 in arithmetic, and 3.37 in spelling; (3) poor children starting the program in kindergarten have a projected IQ gain of 9.1 points which is maintained through grade 3; (4) poor children starting in first grade have a projected IQ gain of 8.55 points which is cumulative over each grade; and (5) scores on the Metropolitan Achievement Test in grade 3 are at or above grade level in most subtests. The model is described as including increased manpower in the classroom and a structured daily routine. The major portion of the report consists of statistical analyses and graphs showing student progress. (DB)

School children (N=218) who have not yet attained moderate reading fluency were tested for their awareness of a fundamental relationship between our writing system and speech: that the sounds of speech are represented in writing. Children were shown a long and short word written on a card (e.g., mow and motorcycle), and asked which word corresponded to a spoken word (e.g., mow). The word choices were always grossly different in length, so that a nonreader could perform perfectly if the relationship between written and spoken length was understood. Children were also asked about their basis for responding. Most inner-city kindergarteners in a reasonably representative sample did not perform well on this test. A majority of suburban kindergarteners and inner city first and second graders performed well, but many did not. Controls suggested that failure on this test cannot be attributed to the specific form of presentation of the materials or to misunderstanding of the question being asked. (Author)

This committee report and position paper recommends that a system of state public kindergartens should be established in Mississippi. Justification for public kindergartens is based on two major premises: (1) a belief that every child can benefit from quality kindergartens as they are described in this paper, and (2) a belief that kindergartens based on a child development philosophy could influence the traditional primary schools to provide more appropriate experiences for six-, seven-, and eight-year-olds. Specific recommendations for implementing public kindergartens are suggested: (1) passage of enabling legislation, (2) appropriation of funds for a selected number of kindergarten programs, (3) designation of responsibility for selection of initial kindergarten programs to the State Department of Education, and (4) appointment of a Supervisor of Early Childhood Education to act as kindergarten consultant to school districts. Appendixes include a listing of the kindergarten legislation from every state through 1974, and an outline of proposed kindergarten legislation in Mississippi from 1971 through 1974.

In a replication of a similar study with American children, 56 normal native Israeli children (5-years-old) were studied to determine the universality of self-generated verbal mediators as a means of enhancing memory processes. Eight Ss, randomly selected, were assigned in each of the following conditions: labeling, sentence generation, listening to interrogative reversals or why questions, response to interrogative reversals, sentence repetition, response to what questions, or response to why questions. Ss were presented with 21 pairs of pictures of common objects under the designated conditions, and were then shown only one picture from each pair and asked to identify the missing picture. Results revealed the mean number of correct responses was highest (16.1) to the "response to why questions" and was lowest (1.5) in the "labeling" condition. Findings replicated those of the study with American children in that the conditions that enhanced a higher recall were the conditions that required the child to generate a verbal mediator that would meaningfully encompass both paired associates items. (Instructions and formats for each testing condition are appended.) (LS)

This study reports on the needs of young children in Idaho, relating to: (1) health and related factors during early childhood, (2) heredity and environmental factors which influence the child's development. Initial data were drawn from already existing studies and sources. Missing data were collected in face-to-face interviews with 2 percent of the families in Idaho having children between the ages of 0 and 6. Additional data were collected from both public and private vendors of service to help complete the needs picture. Vendors of health services were contacted, and the proportion of need they were meeting was calculated. Health factors including hazardous environments, chronic illnesses, acute illnesses, dental health, and nutrition were assessed. Traditional child development factors including cognitive development, social development, and special needs were assessed. Programs attempting to meet these needs were reviewed. The vendors of such services were interviewed, and estimates of the unmet needs were established. The programs reviewed included preschools, kindergartens, and day care centers. Results are summarized in profile form. (Author)

The data in this report are based on the Census Bureau's October 1973 Current Population Survey, and present information on the age, race, type of school, control of school (private or public), type of residence, and family income of children enrolled in nursery school and kindergarten. The tables contained in the report for 1973 are comparable to those published by the Office of Education for prior years. Also included here are selected summary tables for the period from 1964 to 1973. (Author/CS)

This booklet is intended to stimulate sharing of ideas and successful kindergarten programs among Individually Guided Education (IGE) schools. Four selected schools which have integrated kindergarten into a nongraded approach to education are described in terms of organization, the different curricula followed, the kinds of assessment used, and the different ways of using auxiliary personnel. In addition to these case studies, the booklet includes a section which contains many of the ideas used in schools which were not individually examined. A final section suggests further possibilities for using Individually Guided Education. (CS)

This report describes the first year of a two-year experimental, transitional kindergarten program for children whose mother tongue is Italian. Begun in Toronto, Canada as the result of pressure from both the ethnic community and from educators, the program is designed to run for the two years of kindergarten (junior and senior). The bilingual teacher, with the help of a bilingual teaching assistant, conducts classes using mainly Italian. English is introduced gradually with the intention that by the third year of school (i.e., grade 1), the pupils will be able to enter a regular program and learn to read and write in English. Comparisons made between the experimental group and children of similar backgrounds in regular English kindergarten programs revealed two major differences, favoring the experimental group: availability of the mother tongue resulted in a larger proportion of children participating in group conversations and in their parents having more contact with the school. Appendix A consists of background reports relating to the implementation of the program, and Appendix B contains copies of the observation schedules, teachers' rating instruments, and parents' questionnaires used for the project. Findings are detailed in Appendix C. (Author/PMP)

This is the 1974 report of progress toward the 11 major objectives included in the five-year plan adopted by the State department of education in 1970. Separate sections are devoted to each of the major objectives: reducing the number of school dropouts, reducing the number of first grade failures, implementing a statewide kindergarten system, improving students' basic verbal and quantitative skills, providing adequate occupational training opportunities, increasing the number of high school graduates in postsecondary education programs, providing adequate educational programs for handicapped students, increasing adult enrollment in basic and secondary educational programs, assuring availability of qualified school personnel, annually assessing educational quality in each school district, and implementing a specified minimum program in each school district. Each section describes in great detail specific subgoals, current activities and achievements, and planned steps toward one of the major objectives on a year-by-year basis from 1971-72 through 1975-76. (JG)

In order to ascertain the effectiveness of a short instructional program involving four marking skills required in following directions, a study was conducted with six kindergarten classes (130 children) taught by three teachers. The experimental and control groups in each class were given the pretest and posttest on the same days; otherwise, the control group participated in regular kindergarten work period experiences. The experimental group followed a two-week schedule which included the introduction and use of the four marking skills (circle around, X on, line under, and line from object to object). During the work period, several children at a time listened to and followed the directions of that day's lesson, which was prerecorded on tape and lasted approximately seven minutes. Analysis of data showed that in the pretest 40.29 percent of the experimental group children and 42.85 percent of the control group children had achieved 100 percent accuracy. Posttest results showed that 76.11 percent of the experimental group children and 61.90 percent of the control group children had achieved 100 percent accuracy. (JM)

This study was designed to develop a conceptual scheme and brief reliable measures of parent and teacher involvement and interaction, to be given to kindergarteners' parents and teachers at the time of enrollment and again at the end of kindergarten. The inventories provide a framework for an analysis of (1) characteristics of parents and teachers that influence home-school collaboration; (2) the extent to which different policies, programs, and interventions might influence parent-teacher interaction and involvement; and (3) the relationship of different levels of parent and teacher involvement and interaction to the child's school adjustment and achievement. A search of ERIC documents pertaining to home-school relationship, and a review of research on parent involvement in the child's education in the home and in the school, provided the background for developing the inventories. A small pilot study was conducted with 20 parents of 4- and 5-year-olds at a child development center. Intercorrelations of scale scores were computed for the "a priori" scales for the pilot data and were examined for clusters of scales that might define major dimensions of parent-teacher interaction and parent involvement. These clusters indicate that major dimensions of parent-teacher involvement and interaction can be isolated from this inventory. (CS)

This booklet briefly describes an extended day kindergarten program designed to provide a well-rounded curriculum stressing cognitive, social, and physical development; a longer period of time daily for the child in school (four and a half to five hours instead of only three); and greater opportunity for the establishment of parent-teacher relationships. Part of the teacher's time is allocated to home visits in which the teacher discusses the child's progress and ways parents can help the child at home and at school. The three plans used in organizing the extended day schedule are outlined. General information on grouping, use of parent aides, and the establishment of the parent-teacher relationships is included. (ED)

Evaluated were the effects of three different instructional programs (open education, structure of the intellect, and conventional contrast) on 56 bright kindergarten children of either high or low socioeconomic status (SES). Recognized experts evaluated the open and structured classes giving them positive ratings as being representative of the intended model (contrast classes were the regular kindergarten programs offered in the public schools which usually emphasized organized large and small group activities). The results included the following: a mean gain in IQ scores of four points with no significant interaction found among the class models or between high and low SES students, no significant difference in divergent thinking among class models but better performance by high SES children, existence of differences in question types used by teachers (with contrast teachers using a more cognitive memory type of question), no differences in performance among class models on the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities though different scoring patterns were observed for high and low SES students, and slightly more positive program appraisals by parents of children in the open education program. (DB)

Volume I of the St. Louis Public Schools evaluation report on programs, projects, services and activities funded in whole or in part under Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I is organized into Two Parts. Part One, Evaluation of Total Title I Program, presents the completed evaluation forms. Part Two, focuses on the Evaluation of Title I Projects. Seven out of ten components are individually examined. Component One, Rooms of Fifteen, provided remedial instruction for low-achieving elementary students in basic skills to prepare them for returning to regular classrooms. Component Two, Reading Improvement Teams, is directed at elementary students with serious reading problems. Component Three, Lincoln High School, is a school for students who have been suspended from their regular eligible ESEA Title I high schools, and who have met Title I guide lines. Component Four, discusses a Work-Study High School. Component Seven, Inservice Center, serves also as a curriculum materials center. Component Eight covered Administration and Evaluation. Component Nine, Kindergarten Extended Day, was basically a supplementary instruction after and before school program for kindergarten pupils. Component Ten, Summer School, made available a total of 160 hours of instruction, including field trips to the students. (JM)

This evaluation report for the Diagnostic and Prescriptive Reading Program provides program description and statistics for fiscal year 1974. Several sections listed as follows, constitute the report: project statistics, dissemination of project information and data, major problem areas, interrelationship of Title I with other federal and state programs, public school participation, non-public school participation, general evaluation of the project, state department of education, project staff development, pre- and in-service training, evaluation of objectives and narrative evaluation, summary, and conclusions. This last section covers topics such as attendance, class participation, behavior, educational and reading achievement, changes in administrative structure, curriculum, and teaching methods, community and parent involvement, recommendations concerning future of Title I projects, and evaluation of Title I in bringing compensatory education to non-public school children. In the appendices are included definitions for Bethel Title I, suggested standards for student aides, and a Bethel Primary Evaluation Chart. (AM)

Children judged the ability and effort of peers whose test performance varied across two dimensions: number of problems attempted and percentage correct. There was a developmental progression in the children's evaluative approach. Younger children used only one cue, number correct, to evaluate both ability and effort. Older children used both cues and made significantly more negative ability and effort evaluations. (Author)

Described in three documents is the Early Prevention of School Failure Project which is designed to identify and provide programs for preschool learning disabled children. Screening tests are said to include evaluations of visual motor integration, speech, language and motor development. Considered in the pamphlet are services provided in Model Learning Disability Kindergartens for children with severe learning problems and therapy and teacher consultation services for children with milder difficulties. It is explained that validation results indicate growth exceeding project objectives in receptive language, visual motor and psycholinguistic development. Provided in accompanying documents are information regarding replication of the project in local schools, an annual report to the President and Congress which touches on program implementation costs. (CL)