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Two studies examined the relationship between children's clay models and the children's concurrent school achievement, and compared a 6-year longitudinal record of achievement test scores for one cohort of students at schools that did or did not provide visual arts instruction. Participating in Study 1 were 201 kindergartners and third graders from 4 urban public schools matched on school characteristics and neighborhood demographics. Two schools offered some visual arts education supplementing basic skills instruction. One school emphasized arts learning including dance, drama, music, and visual arts. The fourth school did not provide any school arts program. Photographs of clay models were rated by 3 trained judges for 13 features such as height, shape, clarity, texture, and detailing. Ratings were compared between grade levels and visual arts emphasis in the schools. Nationally standardized student achievement scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were compared for art and non-art groups. Results indicated that art-trained children produced models more prominent in their degree of shaping, amount of detailing, and vertical position, but not expressive qualities. The art-trained, third grade models showed several significant positive correlations with standardized reading and math scores, which accounted for about 15 percent of total reading and math score variance. In Study 2, the Grade 6 reading scores for a 6-year longitudinal cohort of 414 children were examined and showed that art-trained children scored .63 standard deviation units above the overall mean. (The model rating scale is appended. Contains 98 references.) (Author/KB)

This report describes how a longitudinal study was conducted, which examined 1,235 at-risk sixth-grade students (95 percent Black and 5 percent Hispanic) in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools and their schools and families. The longitudinal study traced the children's patterns of school adjustment since their enrollment in government-funded kindergarten programs in the 1985-86 school year; studied the effects of their school-based intervention experiences; and assessed the effects of family, school, and individual factors on children that are open to educational alteration. Development, distribution, and collection of survey forms; telephone follow-up of mailed surveys; and data preparation and analyses are described. Data collected included: teacher ratings of children's competence and problem behaviors; children's ratings of their attitudes and behavior in and out of school; field observations of classrooms, children, and teachers; telephone interviews with parents; standardized school achievement test scores; and school records concerning grade promotion, special education placement, and mobility. Additional sections describe procedures used for each data collection effort. Appendix A summarizes data collected from 1985 through 1992. Appendix B includes the seven study instruments. Appendix C presents a report on a study completed in 1991-92 using data from the longitudinal study. (JB)

Internal structure and external validity of 39 multiple-choice visual arts achievement test items were examined. These items were developed to assess grade 3 visual arts achievement for a statewide model of a fine arts curriculum. Item responses were evaluated in terms of: (1) fit to the one-parameter Rasch measurement model; (2) item-total correlations and alpha reliability; (3) total score comparisons between art- and non-art-educated groups in kindergarten, grade 3, grade 7, and high school (over 900 students in all); and (4) comparison of art- and non-art-educated groups on six components of visual learning. Most items generally fit a unidimensional measurement model, with good alpha reliability, although six items showed marginal or poor fit. Art-educated students scored higher in each grade, and when items were grouped into the six components of visual arts achievement, art- and non-art-educated students differed significantly as expected, except for knowledge of tools, where no significant difference was noted. This method of assessment appears reliable and valid for children in grade 3 and may be useful for older children as well. An appendix contains a long table of curriculum objectives and interval structure. (Contains 26 references.) (SLD)

Researchers analyzed data from a longitudinal study of black children at risk to study fifth graders' writing. Analysis of 186 students' compositions indicated students were optimistic despite their many problems. Writing achievement was low. Significant correlations appeared between affective characteristics and both structure and thinking. Girls outscored boys on seven variables. (SM)

Used longitudinal data collected from parents, teachers, and children to test social psychological predictors of early school adjustment of 1,255 low-income children from kindergarten to fourth grade. Found that parent involvement was positively related to achievement and teacher ratings of school progress. (MM)

The proliferation of minimum competency testing in recent years has not resulted in a critical analysis of the construct validity of such tests. The present study examined the dimensionality and construct validity of an urban life skills competency test (the 1987 eighth-grade Chicago Minimum Proficiency Skills Test (MPST) via linear analysis. The MPST is a 63-item multiple choice test. Three computerized random samples of 880, 879, and 879 Chicago public elementary school students (Grade 8) were selected for analysis. Results of a double cross-validation factor analysis identified one factor underlying performance on the test. This factor was stable across three independent samples. This derived factor was highly correlated with reading and math sub-tests of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Thus, life skills competency tests may not be operationally different than traditional achievement tests. Additional validity studies are needed. Four tables are included. (Author/TJH)