A longitudinal study of the predictive validity of the system of multicultural pluralstic assessment (SOMPA)

The System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) was initially administered to 700 Anglo, 700 Black, and 700 Hispanic children in California elementary schools in order to develop a nonbiased testing program. Ten years later, 1184 of the original 2100 youths were again tested with the SOMPA in high school. At that time, academic achievement and parental interview data also were collected. The results indicate that: (a) Mean achievement test scores and GPAs for the high school students showed that Anglos obtained higher scores than Hispanics, who received higher scores than Blacks. (b) Among the various medical measures, the Bender Gestalt, Fine Motor Sequencing and Finger-Tongue Dexterity tests of the SOMPA were the only ones able to consistently differentiate between youth who did poorly and those who did well academically ten years after their initial testing. (c) Scores on the 1972 IQ test (WISC-R) showed moderate correlations with achievement test scores ten years later. (d) 1972 IQ scores showed low but reliable correlations with GPAs ten years later. (e) In only a very few instances were IQ correlations with achievement test scores higher for minorities than for Anglos. (f) IQ correlated less well with GPA than with achievement test scores for all three ethnic groups. (g) An adjusted IQ, called Estimated Learning Potential (ELP), was more predictive of school achievement than was verbal IQ, particularly for Blacks in the lowest sociocultural quartile. (h) In the second lowest sociocultural quartile, the VIQ correlations with academic measures were reliably higher than the VIQ-ELP correlations, but only for the Anglo and total groups. (i) In the upper two sociocultural quartiles, for all ethnic groups combined, VIQ correlated slightly, but significantly, higher than ELP with school achievement. (j) Also in the upper two quartiles, VIQ correlated higher with academic measures than did VIQ-ELP for both Blacks and Hispanics in almost half of the comparisons. In conclusion, it appears that some subtests of the SOMPA may have some validity for predicting school achievement for students from different ethnic groups.     

The validity of discrepancy-based definitions of reading disabilities.

This study addressed the validity of distinguishing children with reading disabilities according to the presence or absence of discrepancies between intelligence test scores and academic achievement. Three definitions of reading disability were used to provide criteria for five groups of children who (a) met a discrepancy-based definition uncorrected for the correlation of IQ and achievement; (b) met a discrepancy-based definition correcting for the correlation of IQ and achievement; (c) met a low achievement definition with no IQ discrepancy; (d) met criteria a and b; and (e) met none of the criteria and had no reading disability. Comparison of these five groups on a set of 10 neuropsychological tests corrected for correlations with IQ showed that group differences were small and accounted for little of the variability among groups. These results question the validity of segregating children with reading deficiencies according to discrepancies with IQ scores.     

Relationship between WISC-R and WRAT in children referred for learning difficulties

Correlations between the WISC-R Full, Verbal, Performance, and Freedom from Distractibility Scale IQs, WISC-R subtest scaled scores, and Wide Range Achievement Test Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores were computed for a sample of 114 children (64 boys, 50 girls), aged 6 to 16 years, who were referred for psychological evaluation because of academic or learning difficulties. The Full Scale IQ, Verbal Scale IQ, and Freedom from Distractibility IQ correlated moderately with the three achievement area standard scores (rs of .48 to .59). However, the Performance Scale IQ correlated minimally with reading and spelling scores (rs of .26 and .27), but moderately with arithmetic scores (r = .40). The results support the concurrent validity of the WISC-R.     

Validity of WISC-R IQS and factor scores in predicting achievement for Mexican-American children

The predictive validity of the WISC-R IQs and factor scores was examined with a sample of 64 Mexican-American children. All the correlations among the WISC-R factor scores and academic achievement as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) were found to be low, ranging from .09 to .31. Significant relationships were observed only between WRAT Reading and Perceptual Organization (PO) factor, WRAT Arithmetic and PO factor, and Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor and WRAT Arithmetic scores. In contrast to this, however, significant relationships were observed between IQ scores and achievement measures, suggesting predictive utility of the WISC-R IQs in predicting achievement for Mexican-American children.     

The relationship between the WISC-III and the WRAT3 in a sample of rural referred children

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children-III and the Wide Range Achievement Test, 3rd Edition. The study investigated the scores of 37 children in a rural Arkansas school district who were referred for evaluation because of academic difficulties. The children ranged in age from 6 to 16 years and included 35 Whites and 2 Blacks, with 22 males and 15 females. The findings indicated that the WRAT3 correlations with the WISC-III ranged from .42 to .66. These findings are consistent with others on the general correlations between IQ and achievement test scores.     

IQ,grit, and academic achievement: Evidence from rural China

Promoting an educated labor force is critical for emerging economies. Educational achievement, in turn, depends heavily on general cognitive abilities as well as non-cognitive skills, such as grit. Current research, however, has not examined how cognition and grit may explain the academic performance of students in an economically disadvantaged context. Thus, this study examines how IQ and grit contribute to academic achievement gains for students in poor areas of rural China. Drawing on data from 2931 students in rural China, we measure general cognitive ability, using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (Raven IQ); non-cognitive ability, using the Short Grit Scale; and academic achievement, using a curricular-based mathematics exam. We find that IQ and grit each predict achievement gains for the average student. Grit is not positively associated with achievement gains among low-IQ students, however, suggesting that grit does not translate into academic achievement gains for students with delays in general cognitive ability.     

Investigation of Poor Academic Achievement in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a neurogenetic developmental disorder that presents with progressive muscular weakness. It is caused by a mutation in a gene that results in the absence of specific products that normally localize to muscle cells and the central nervous system (CNS). The majority of affected individuals have IQs within the normal range, generally with lower verbal than performance IQ scores. Prior work has demonstrated selective deficits on tests of verbal span and immediate memory. For the current study, 26 boys with DMD (and normal intellectual function) and their unaffected siblings were evaluated. Paired comparisons demonstrated that the children with DMD had significantly poorer academic achievement scores than their siblings, even though their vocabulary levels and home and educational environments were comparable. Children with DMD also had more behavioral concerns, physical disabilities, and poorer verbal memory spans. Linear regression indicated that behavioral concerns, executive function, and physical disability did not contribute substantially to academic performance, whereas performance on verbal span did. DMD presents with a selective developmental aberration in verbal span that has wide‐ranging consequences on learning skills.     

WISC-III correlations with the WIAT

Correlations between WISC-III IQs and Index scores with the eight achievement subscales of the WIAT were investigated for a sample of 202 students with specific learning disabilities, 115 students with mental retardation, and 159 students who failed to qualify for special education services (total N = 476). Corrected correlations between the WISC-III Full Scale IQ and WIAT subtests indicated differences with the correlations reported in the WIAT manual. Interestingly, our relationships were generally higher than those previously reported. Only on one subtest, Basic Reading, were significantly lower correlations than those reported in the WIAT manual present. Correlations between the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization Index scores and WIAT subtests were almost all lower than those calculated between the Verbal and Performance IQs and WIAT subtests. Implications are discussed, especially those involving the use of correlations between ability and achievement measures in regression formulas.     

ADHD and reading disabilities: a cluster analytic approach for distinguishing subgroups

Data suggest that children with reading disability (RD) and non-RD children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may comprise distinct subgroups. Research has been hampered by variance in definitional criteria, which results in the study of different subgroups of children. Using cluster analysis, this study empirically divided children with ADHD (N = 54), based on their Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and reading ability. Four distinct subgroups emerged in which cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical function was compared. Cluster 1 was of average FSIQ and reading scores; Cluster 2 was of average FSIQ but showed impairment in reading; Cluster 3 had high FSIQ and reading scores; and Cluster 4 had low scores in both domains. The groups had different patterns of cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical function, as determined by discrepancies in Verbal-Performance IQ, academic achievement scores, parent aggression ratings, and a measure of noradrenergic function. These distinctions are discussed with regard to etiology, treatment, and long-term outcome.     

Characteristics of children referred for evaluation of school difficulties who have adequate academic achievement scores

Forty children (7 to 11 years old) referred for evaluation of learning problems, who had scores within the normal range on standardized measures of academic achievement, were compared to 81 similarly referred children who had scored low (< 90) on at least one measure of academic achievement. We tested the hypothesis that children with normal achievement scores who are referred for evaluation of learning problems show neuropsychological profiles comparable to those of children with low achievement. Referral problems, school history, IQ, academic achievement, and neuropsychological function were evaluated. Referred children with normal achievement scores came from more advantaged backgrounds and had less intensive academic interventions, higher IQs, and better decoding skills. Nonetheless, the two groups showed similar neuropsychological profiles. Vulnerability to complexity and decreased automaticity were prominent. Normal-range achievement test scores among children referred for evaluation should not be regarded as indicating absence of neurodevelopmental vulnerability.     

Assessing the cognitive abilities of culturally and linguistically diverse students: Predictive validity of verbal,quantitative, and nonverbal tests

Verbal and quantitative reasoning tests provide valuable information about cognitive abilities that are important to academic success. Information about these abilities may be particularly valuable to teachers of students who are English‐language learners (ELL), because leveraging reasoning skills to support comprehension is a critical aptitude for their academic success. However, due to concerns about cultural bias, many researchers advise exclusive use of nonverbal tests with ELL students despite a lack of evidence that nonverbal tests provide greater validity for these students. In this study, a test measuring verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning was administered to a culturally and linguistically diverse sample of students. The two‐year predictive relationship between ability and achievement scores revealed that nonverbal scores had weaker correlations with future achievement than did quantitative and verbal reasoning ability scores for ELL and non‐ELL students. Results do not indicate differential prediction and do not support the exclusive use of nonverbal tests for ELL students. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Home again: effects of the Mother-Child Home Program on mother and child

4 successive cohorts of low-income families were randomly assigned either to a home-based intervention program that focused on modeling verbal interaction between mother and child around selected toys and books or to comparison treatments. Large program effects were found on maternal interaction styles in videotaped observations. Small IQ and program-specific effects were found for children in contrast to much larger IQ effects found in earlier research. IQ effects did not appear to have been mediated by changes in maternal behavior. A variation in which toys and books were supplied without home visits was as effective as the full program on IQ but not on maternal behavior. 3 years postprogram , there were no detectable effects in achievement or IQ tests or in first grade teachers' ratings of school adjustment and performance, but IQ and achievement scores were near national norms. Reasons for discrepancies with earlier results are discussed. The results highlight the need for continued experimental evaluation of early intervention programs with safeguards to insure that samples are educationally at risk.     

The relationship between the WAIS-R and academic achievement among EMR adolescents

This study examined the relationship between the WAIS-R and WRAT-R among 78 EMR adolescents enrolled in resource classes in a public school setting. Results indicated that the WAIS-R Verbal IQ was significantly correlated with all WRAT-R subtests (r range = .66 to .77). The Performance IQ was found to be significantly related only to Arithmetic (r = .26). The Full Scale IQ was significantly related to Reading (r = .25) and Arithmetic (r = .56), but not Spelling. Results suggest that the WAIS-R Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ generally show moderate correlations with achievement but the Performance IQ generally shows no or little relationship to achievement. This pattern of findings is somewhat different from prior Wechsler research with other populations. Implications for the diagnostic activities of school psychologists are discussed.     

The WISC-R as a predictor of WRAT performance

This study investigated the efficacy of predicting academic achievement as measured by the WRAT, using the Verbal and Performance scores of the WISC-R as predictors. Both tests were given to 155 children referred for psychological evaluations in a four-county area in southeastern Nebraska, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted where the Verbal and Performance IQ scores were conjointly regressed on Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores from the WRAT. The results indicated that the Performance IQ did not significantly predict academic achievement, and that the Verbal IQ significantly predicted only Reading and Arithmetic scores. Generated regression equations were provided.     

Self‐Assessed Intelligence and Academic Performance

This paper reports the results of a two‐year longitudinal study of the relationship between self‐assessed intelligence (SAI) and academic performance (AP) in a sample of 184 British undergraduate students. Results showed significant correlations between SAI (both before and after taking an IQ test) and academic exam marks obtained two years later, even when IQ scores were partialled out. Several continuous assessment indicators (notably attendance, oral expression, and motivation) were also significantly correlated with SAI, even when IQ scores were controlled. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated that although exam grades were best predicted by IQ, SAI showed significant incremental validity in the prediction of AP, accounting for an additional 3% of exam, 9% of continuous assessment, and 2% of essay grades. Results are discussed with regard to current trends to integrate individual differences underlying AP.     

Effects of Methylphenidate on Academic Achievement from First to Second Grade

The objectives of the current study were to identify the long‐term effects of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) on cognitive ability and academic achievement. A retrospective/longitudinal design was utilised in the study with dependent measures being scores from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). The study included 17 experimental subjects who were identified with ADHD and placed on Methylphenidate between first and second grade. For each experimental child, a control child without ADHD was matched based on gender, Verbal IQ score, and family structure. Results of the study revealed that the Methylphenidate group's achievement was lower both before and after medication even after being matched on verbal abilities. The results also indicated that after receiving medication the Methylphenidate group's rate of learning was similar to the Control groups on Reading, Word Analysis, Listening, Vocabulary, and overall achievement. Finally, a positive relationship between dosage level and Listening subtest scores was observed while a negative relationship was obtained between dosage level and Vocabulary subtest scores.     

Some Validation Data for the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS)

Rand, P. 1978. Some Validation Data for the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS). Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 22, 155‐171. The AM Swas administered to 588 sixth grade Oslo children, 301 boys and 287 girls. Among other tests given were 6 verbal and 2 numerical tests, TASC, and a Lie/Defensiveness Scale. On the basis of achievement theory, scores on the AMS subscale for motive to seek success (M5) were predicted to be positively related to performance on the verbal and numerical tests, and scores on the subscale for motive to avoid failure (Mf) to be negatively related to those scores. The theory also leads to the assumption that the difference in performance between individuals high and low in motive scores would be clearest on tasks experienced as being of medium difficulty. The results show predicted and mostly significant relationships. Even when related to the tests of personality characteristics, the AMS shows promising qualities. TASC scores are related positively to Mf scores and negatively to Ms scores. The fact that AMS scores show negligible correlations with lie/defensiveness scores indicates that the risk of faked AMS scores may be small.     

Intelligence quotient,short-term memory and study habits as academic achievement predictors of elementary school: A follow-up study

Few studies have explored the differential contribution of general intelligence, short-term memory and study habits has on academic achievement during elementary school, especially during a two-year follow-up. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ), short-term memory and study habits and their ability to predict the academic achievement of children in elementary school (74 pupils aged 8–9 years old). The instruments used are the General and Factorial Intelligence Test (GFI-3 revised), the Yuste Memory Test (MY), the Study Habits and Techniques Questionnaire (SHTQ) and the average score obtained in the final exams in both 3rd and 4th grade. IQ, short-term memory and study habits are significantly related to academic achievement. These variables can predict 56–59 % (p < .001) of the variability of academic achievement. The study concludes that IQ and study habits are two significant predictor variables of academic achievement.     

Interpersonal problem solving and children's social competence: Are current measures valid?

Ninety-four first- and second-grade students participated in a study designed to determine whether a measure of interpersonal problem-solving skill would predict the social competence of children with no clinical history. The social competence measures used in the study included peer ratings (sociometric scores) and teacher ratings. The interpersonal problem-solving measure used yielded three separate scores obtained from ratings of open-ended responses to hypothetical peer problems. To enable control of other variables known to affect social competence, measures of IQ, academic achievement, and SES also were included. Results did not confirm a prior expectation that problem-solving scores would correlate well with competence measures. Correlations between the three problem-solving scores and both peer and teacher ratings all were in the range between .04 and .20. On the other hand, intelligence, achievement, and SES had moderate to high correlations with competence measures (range = .04–.77). In stepwise multiple regressions, only achievement and SES predicted peer and teacher ratings when other variables were controlled.     

Correlates of Academic Overachievement,Nondiscrepant Achievement,and Learning Disability in ADHD,Autism, and General Population Samples

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the characteristics of academic overachievers, children whose achievement significantly exceeds IQ. Correlates of overachievement (achievement test scores ≥ 1 SD above IQ), nondiscrepant achievement, and learning disability (LD; achievement ≥ 1 SD below IQ) were analyzed in 1,543 children (739 ADHD, 285 autism, and 519 general population), 6–16 years of age. Significant correlates of the reading and math achievement groups were diagnosis (autism greatest overachievement, ADHD greatest LD), IQ (lowest in overachievers and highest in LD), and Working Memory scores relative to the child’s IQ (close to or exceeding IQ in overachievers and lower than IQ in LD). Demographics (age, sex, race, and parent occupation) and parent and teacher ratings of psychopathology (e.g., behavior problems, anxiety, and depression) and personality characteristics (e.g., motivation and self-confidence) did not contribute significantly more to predicting overachievement and LD beyond that explained by IQ, diagnosis, and working memory. These findings suggest an underlying neurobiological etiology for both overachievement and LD.