The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

In the single prediction of attrition/ persistence for experimental and control persons, GPA is primary and significant. No other single predictors appear viable. In the multiple prediction of attrition/persistence for experimental and control persons, GPA is primary and significant. Additional variates usually appear unnecessary. (Author)

A study that examined how four types of feedback affected perceived control and student achievement in different instruction settings is described. College students wrote an aptitude test that provided either contingent, low noncontingent failure, high noncontingent failure, or no-performance feedback. (Author/MLW)

Sex differences in performance on the Australian Scholastic Aptitude Test (ASAT) were investigated. No significant direct effect of sex on performance was found. Sex differences were found to be the result of females having a higher verbal ability, males studying more mathematics, and males having greater confidence in ASAT success. (LMO)

Ball Aptitude BAttery (BAB) scores, grades, and American College Test (ACT) scores were obtained for over 800 high school seniors. BAB scores adequately predicted academic success in 10 subject areas and on the ACT. The battery seemed valid for career planning for males, females, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. (Author/GDC)

The initial effort in applying the SAT-M to young Chinese students revealed that many of them reason extraordinarily well mathematically before age 13 and before having covered the bulk of the high-school mathematics curriculum. The conclusion seems to be that they must have keen analytical ability. (MLW)

Thirty-four tests measuring verbal ability, academic achievement, reading skills, attitudes, visual perception, spelling, and word decoding skills were compared for their correlational strengths with grade in a required freshman course in composition. The American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment English subtest yielded the strongest and…

A parent's perspective on testing and the U.S. educational system and on how today's society values quality and achievement is presented. Uninformed parental expectation and less informed, less dedicated, and less imaginative teaching are seen as resulting in diplomas awarded for attendance, automatic passing of students, and deterioration of…

Contrary to findings of the Educational Testing Service and the College Board, the authors contend that coaching can effectively help raise student scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). They argue that the SAT is not in fact a measure of "aptitude" and that high school grades and achievement tests are better predictors of…

Current studies of cognition emphasize the contrast between two approaches to analysis of individual differences. It is concluded that the cognitive components approach incorporates the cognitive correlates approach, avoids the inadequacy of correlational methods, and models individual differences on various dimensions of cognitive functioning.…

This article discusses identification methods and practices for gifted education and barriers to appropriate identification. Internet addresses are provided for accessing federal legislation requirements, a multiple intelligences framework for identification, the Renzulli Enrichment Triad model, and 13 assessments used to identify gifted students.…

This essay presents arguments in favor of continuing individualized intelligence testing in schools. Issues discussed include questions of validity in the concept of intelligence and its testing, ethical issues, legal issues, racial/minority and cultural issues, poor correlation between test results and teaching, and alternatives proposed by…

Traditional predictors have modest correlations with medical school grades and scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners examination for minority students. Noncognitive minority admissions variables are discussed including self-concept, realistic self-appraisal, understanding and dealing with racism, long-range goals, having a strong…

Course selection of 795 gifted adolescents in a summer residential program differed along traditional gender lines in mathematics, science, and writing/literature. Girls and boys performed equally well in all types of classes; main effects in achievement and motivation were found only for type of class. The Scholastic Aptitude Test served as a…

For 301 students in grades 8 through 12 in 4 rural Appalachian schools, the ability of several school-related variables (including self-evaluations, teachers' evaluations, and grades) to predict performance on 2 scales of the Differential Aptitude Test was studied. Teacher perceptions and student self-evaluation are moderately valid predictors.…