Examines the viability of replacing the conventional placement testing in mathematics with a self-assessment strategy. Describes a study of 63 adult students who completed one of two self-assessment inventories and a mathematics placement test. Found that there is a positive relationship between information provided by students on the…

Presents an analysis of the correlation between computerized placement test scores and subsequent academic performance for 74 2-year college students. Finds a low correlation between scores and course pass rates. Suggests that other qualitative measures be employed in addition to computerized testing to assess students. (12 citations) (BCY)

Describes a study comparing portfolio assessment to standardized test results and examining how both predicted subsequent academic achievement as indicated by grade point averages. Indicates that academic achievement could not be accurately predicted by any of three portfolio measures (that is, classwork, reading skills, or responses to text) or…

Constructed and tested for validity the Developmental Rating Scale (DRS), which uses teacher judgments about the academic development of children to evaluate student achievement. Teachers evaluated children at the pre-kindergarten, first-, and second-grade levels using the DRS and the Developmental Profile II (DPII). Found that the DRS, unlike the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric characteristics of a phonological awareness assessment for prekindergarten children using Messick's (1989) framework for unitary construct validity. Upon entry into prekindergarten, children were given rhyme discrimination, syllable segmentation, initial phoneme isolation, and phoneme…

This paper reports on a two-part evaluation of the Test of English at Matriculation (TEAM) in use at the University of Edinburgh. TEAM has been used since 1987 to identify entering non-native speakers of English who are likely to be at risk linguistically and who should receive English language support. Separate samples of candidates' scores were…

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score differences were examined for Black and White examinees who entered American medical schools in 1978 and 1979. The incidence of academic difficulty resulting in delayed graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal was also examined. The MCAT provides six scores: biology, chemistry, physics, science problems,…

This research study explores the concurrent and predictive validity of the English language proficiency screening test used by the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and the relationship of this measure to academic performance. It is concluded that (1) evidence of the predictive validity of the test supports its use for efficiently…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted at Broome Community College (BCC) in Binghamton, New York, to determine whether students who added a class on or after the first class meeting (i.e., late admits) were at greater risk of withdrawing or failing than students who registered on time (i.e., regular admits). Final grades awarded to students in ENG…

Stepwise regression was used in 1986 and 1987 to determine the best predictor variables for predicting the percentage of students in the 113 Atlanta Public Schools scoring at or above the national norm in reading and mathematics on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/Tests of Achievement and Proficiency. Twenty elementary school, 16 middle school, and…

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the cultural distance hypothesis in determining group differences on intelligence and performance scales in Black and White subjects. This view, the Cultural-Distance Approach, briefly stated is that a sub-culture's distance from the major culture, on which test questions of a test are based and…

A Teacher Survey was developed for administration to Illinois teachers whose students take the Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP). The IIEP are the achievement tests of the state assessment program. The purposes of the Teacher Survey range from determination of a test's curricular validity to investigations of teachers' abilities to…

Head Start children tested at 4 years of age on the Preschool Preposition Test (PPT) and the Classroom Behavior Description checklist (CBD) were assessed for academic achievement and scholastic aptitude at the third- and eighth-grade levels. The PPT is a receptive language test which examines the comprehension of verbal directions by using spatial…

A RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT WAS MADE OF A SELF-REPORTING INSTRUMENT WITH RESPECT TO ITS PREDICTIVE VALIDITY FOR SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT. THE PURPOSES WERE TO DETERMINE IF--(1) SELF-COMPILED BIOGRAPHICAL DATA ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE'S ACTUAL EARLY EXPERIENCES, (2) SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT DEPENDS ON ONE'S SPECIFIC EARLY EXPERIENCES OR ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN…

Empirical evidence is presented regarding the use of the estimated learning potential (ELP). The data reported come from three instruments: the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the reading and math components of the California Achievement Tests, and the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) Sociocultural…