General Ability Books

General Ability HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Middle Years Ability Test (MYAT) ACER Press 2005 The Middle Years Ability Test (MYAT) is a test of general ability designed to assist teachers in their assessment of students aged 10–15 years. MYAT is a completely revised and updated edition of the ACER Intermediate Tests F and G. As well as verbal and numerical reasoning items in the tradition of the ACER Intermediate Tests, MYAT includes non-verbal (or abstract) reasoning items, giving a more complete picture of students’ general ability. Key Features n Excellent group test of general ability n Contains literacy, numeracy and non-verbal items in two parallel forms

MYAT Test Questions

n Up-to-date Australian norms n Can be used to help in identification of gifted and talented students n Machine scored through ACER’s test scoring service (page 12) or handscored n The MYAT Report provides an overall ability score and a profile of the student’s performance in each of the three sub-scale areas. Range Middle Years students: last two years of primary, first two years of secondary Purpose To provide a measure of general ability. Administration 45 minutes – group Assessment Content 75 multiple-choice items: n Numeracy – 25 items which provide information about the extent to which a student can exercise basic numeracy skills, is a discriminating and accurate user of mathematical methods, and can reason, solve and construct meaning from number problems. n Literacy – 25 items which provide information about the extent to which a student can exercise basic literacy skills, is a discriminating and accurate word user, and can reason and construct meaning from text. n Non-verbal – 25 items which provide information about the extent to which a student can discover principles and rules, and apply them to solve problems using abstract visual patterns rather than numbers or words. Specimen Set 0 86431 523 6 $99.95 Includes a Manual and one of each Test Booklet A, Test Booklet B and Student Answer Sheet STOP PRESS – Available in 2008 Extension of the Middle Years Ability Test – for junior primary and upper secondary students.

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MYAT Sample Reports

Literacy General Ability

NEW Aptitude Profile Test Series (APTS–E)

Reasoning Progress Tests (RsPT) Denis Vincent and Mary Crumpler Hodder and Stoughton 2002

ACER Press Key Features

Key Features

n Australian norms for Years 9, 10 and 11 n Results help to inform subject selection

n Yields key measures of general ability independent of actual achievement in taught curriculum subjects

n Useful in identifying students for special programs

n Comprehensive and balanced cross-section of question types

n Complete battery – can be used individually, or in any combination

n Easy to administer and score

n Assesses basic cognitive abilities with little dependence on formal school learning

n Practical guidance on how to interpret results

n ACER test scoring service available (page 12)

n Caters for diverse social and language backgrounds

n Tests to cover all primary years

Range Years 9–11

Range 4–12 years of age

Purpose To assess proficiency in a number of key intellectual areas that are highly relevant to success in education and many occupational areas.

Purpose To provide an indication of a student’s potential and predict future performance and to identify able underachievers as well as those students most likely to benefit from learning support.

Administration 30 minutes for each test – group Assessment Content The verbal reasoning module tests two kinds of verbal analogy (matching words which best describe a feeling or concept, and matching pairs of words) – semantic comprehension (linking similar meanings in proverbs or sayings), and vocabulary (linking words that are the closest in meaning). The quantitative reasoning module tests three areas – abstract numeric reasoning (fractions, percentages), short word problems, and problems that require more extensive reading, comprehension and processing of information to find the correct solution. The abstract reasoning module assesses the ability to reason in an abstract context in which one or more rules must be identified. The module challenges test takers to identify hidden rules that underlie patterns and sequences of patterns, presented in one or more dimensions. The spatial-visual module tests the ability to manipulate objects in the mind and to imagine how they would look from different perspectives. It involves three kinds of questions – two-dimensional objects/pattern flipping, three-dimensional objects involving maps and side views, and nets of cubes. Specimen Set A000APT $137.50 Includes a Manual and one of each Test Booklet and Answer Sheet

Administration 45–50 minutes – group Assessment content The Reasoning Progress Tests (RsPT) are published as two stages and cover the full primary phase. The series consists of a picture reasoning test, plus five matched pairs of verbal reasoning and nonverbal reasoning tests. At Stage One the questions are delivered orally, to minimise the reading demand on younger pupils. Practice items are incorporated in the tests, allowing the teacher to pace the testing session appropriately. Stage 1 Specimen Set 001REA $77.00 Includes a Manual and one of each Picture Test 1, Nonverbal Test 2 and Verbal Test 2 Stage 2 Specimen Set 002REA Includes a Manual and one of each NonVerbal Tests 3–6 and Verbal Tests 3–6

$88.00

Also available Numeracy Progress Tests (NPT)

page 33

Reading Progress Tests (RPT)

page 19

The Aptitude Profile Test Series can also be useful in assessment for career planning and development. Please refer to pages 59–61 for other career development assessment tools.

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General Ability Special Abilities Scales (SAS) Observational Assessment for Identifying Able and High-potential Pupils

Slosson Intelligence Test for Children and Adults – Revised (SIT-R3)

Valsa Koshy and Ron Casey Hodder and Stoughton 2000 Key Features

Third Edition

n Designed for use by classroom teachers based on a straight-forward checklist

Richard L Slosson Slosson Educational Publications 2002

n Manual contains extensive guidance on how to support able students n Includes primary and secondary case studies showing how the scales work in practice

Key Features n Quick and reliable index of verbal intelligence

n Written by two of the UK’s leading authorities on gifted education

n Orally administered n Total standard scores and mean age equivalent scores

Range Primary and secondary years Purpose To identify the special talents of students in a range of different contexts and to provide guidance for teachers to develop practical strategies to support able students.

Range Infant to adult Purpose To assess general ability. Administration Untimed – individual

Administration Approximately 10 minutes – individual Assessment Content Teacher completed checklist with 53 items divided into five domains – learning characteristics, social leadership, creative thinking, and self-determination Specimen Set 000SAS Includes a Teacher’s Manual and Sample Checklist

P

$64.00

Assessment Content n Similarities and differences n Vocabulary n Comprehension n Digit span n Arithmetic n Visual-motor n Auditory memory for sentences

Who Am I? Developmental Assessment

Complete Kit 990VE $310.00 Includes a Manual, Technical Manual and a pad of SIT Score Sheets P

Marion de Lemos and Brian Doig ACER Press 1999

– Restricted to Psychologists.

Key Features n User friendly and reliable developmental assessment package

Giftedness in Early Childhood

n Provides a basis for planning individual programs

Second Edition

n Not language dependent – suitable for children with limited English n Includes diagnostic map n Combined scale

Assessment Content

A comprehensive research-based publication offering practical assistance for early childhood educators, parents of young gifted children, and academics studying and researching giftedness in early childhood. Information is included on identification of gifted children, planning and programming, and early entrance to school. Also includes checklists developed by Professor Michael Sayler of the University of North Texas, USA to use in the identification of gifted children.

n Copying (circle, cross, square, triangle, diamond)



Range Preschool and first two years of school Purpose To determine readiness for specific learning experiences by assessing cognitive processes underlying early literacy and numeracy skills. Administration Approximately 20 minutes – group or individual

n Symbols (my name, numbers, letters, words, sentence) n Drawing (picture of me) Specimen Set A000WHO $59.95 Includes an Assessment Manual, Administration Instructions and one Test Booklet

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Cathie Harrison, GERRIC The University of New South Wales 2003

0 73340 453 7 $32.95

General Ability Gifted Students in Primary Schools Differentiating the Curriculum Miraca U M Gross, Bronwyn MacLeod, Diana Drummond and Caroline Merrick, GERRIC The University of New South Wales 2001 A comprehensive teacher-friendly publication offering direct and practical assistance in differentiating the primary school syllabus to extend and challenge students talented in specific subject areas. Offers ideas for developing curriculum units for gifted students and understanding the characteristics and needs of gifted and talented students. This valuable resource contains hundreds of curriculum ideas that can be used as they are or adapted to suit other needs. Contents include sections on off-level testing and curriculum compacting, principles and models of curriculum development, and cross-curricular units of work. Also included is a chapter on developing curriculum enrichment activities based on the Harry Potter novels.

956BK

$32.95

Gifted Students in Secondary Schools Differentiating the Curriculum Miraca U M Gross, Bronwyn Sleap and Marilyn Pretorius, GERRIC The University of New South Wales 1999 A comprehensive, teacher-friendly publication offering direct and practical assistance in differentiating the secondary school syllabus to extend and challenge students talented in specific subject areas. Offers ideas for developing curriculum units for gifted students and aids in understanding the characteristics and needs of gifted and talented students.

908BK

$32.95

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales for Early Childhood, Fifth Edition (Early SB5) Gale Roid, PhD



Riverside Publishing 2005

Features Assesses child’s test behaviours, which can be a rich source of clinical information Range 2.0–7.3 years of age Purpose To measure intelligence/cognitive ability Administration 45–60 minutes – Individual Assessment Content The Early SB5 combines a new Test Observation Checklist (TOC) and software-generated Parent Report with the subtests from the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition. This combination is ideal for professionals who focus on the assessment of young children ages 2.0 to 7.3 years. The TOC is designed to facilitate description of behaviours that have been documented to affect test performance. On the TOC, test-taking behaviours are grouped into two areas: Characteristics and Specific behaviours. The former are considered more intrinsic and refer to child characteristics that most likely extend across situations. The latter are related to test taking behaviours that are more specific to the period of observation (although they also may reflect more persistent behavioural tendencies). Both will have an impact on the young child’s test performance. The Early SB5 is designed for a wide variety of assessment purposes, including mental retardation, learning disabilities, developmental cognitive delays, developmental disabilities and exceptionalities, and intervention planning information, individual family plans, individual educational plans, and neuropsychological evaluation. Manual Record Form (25) Complete Package

500ESB 600ESB 990ESB

$109.00 $98.00 $705.00

Includes Manual, 25 Record Forms, Item Book 1, Item Book 2 and manipulatives P

– Restricted to Psychologists.

Additional general ability resources Non-Verbal Reasoning Test Series (NvRT) Slosson Intelligence Test – Primary (SIT-P) Spatial Reasoning Test Series (SPT) Verbal Reasoning Test Series (VRT) For further details on these products visit our online web catalogue at <www.acerpress.com.au> or contact Customer Service.

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