This "Practitioner's Guide to Growth Models," commissioned by the Technical Issues in Large-Scale Assessment (TILSA) and Accountability Systems & Reporting (ASR), collaboratives of the "Council of Chief State School Officers," describes different ways to calculate student academic growth and to make judgments about the…

A study investigated relationships between entry qualifications, area of specialization, and sex of students (n=313) in an undergraduate education program and overall program performance. Performance in educational psychology was an efficient predictor of overall program achievement. Math/science specialists performed better in educational…

Offers counseling strategies to help counselors identify and evaluate for seriousness of intent those students considering suicide. Discusses both verbal statements and situational clues which provide opportunities for counseling intervention. Suggests a counseling contract as a preventive approach. (JAC)

A technique for evaluating the relationship between game statistics and outcomes of contests is proposed. The technique can be used to determine the relationship between selected game factors and winning or to determine how often various results of certain instances of play occur in a contest. (PP)

The theoretical model of medical student performance begins with 38 measures, reduced to 18 without loss of information. These measures are shown to reflect five underlying theoretical interrelated variables: medical knowledge; clinical performance; science aptitude; college achievement; and attitudes and values. Results should be useful in…

A study used a multivariate approach to assessing college departmental excellence. Factor analysis identified three potentially useful factor clusters ("faculty research,""input," and "student") and seven indicators based on those clusters. Indicators combining faculty research and input and combining all three clusters were found to be the best…

A survey of seven Canadian research granting agencies concerning weighting of criteria in applications for graduate student awards found undergraduate grades were heavily weighted. However, literature on early career indicators suggests this is not an effective predictor of future research productivity. Strategies for improving use of predictive…

At the University of Miami, a monthly written report assesses the status of about 120 measures of institutional effectiveness, with an oral report to administrators focusing on a smaller number of currently crucial organizational characteristics. The reports, kept confidential, help administrators monitor organizational progress. (MSE)

Discusses the selection process carried on in tertiary institutions. Argues that it is pointless to consider actual selection in isolation from the gathering of data and the way that data are treated. (PK)

A study investigated the validity of eight indicators (acceptance rate, mean entrance test score, matriculants' class standing, faculty/student ratio, faculty background, instructional budget, retention, graduation rate) for assessing quality in higher education institutions. Indicators were more predictive of retention, graduation, and reputation…

This document suggests the following eight model indicators of quality in adult education programs: (1) learners demonstrate progress toward attainment of basic skills and competencies that support their educational needs; (2) learners advance in the program or complete program requirements that allow them to continue their education or training;…

The primary purpose of this monograph is to describe how learning curves can be applied to vocational evaluation procedures to enhance the reliability and accuracy of performance prediction. Particular emphasis is placed on describing two techniques known as the "best 20 percent method" and the "Performance Analyzer and…

A university academic advising coordinator responds to a study of readmission among academically dismissed students, suggesting that while objective measures of success are important, they should not be the sole basis for readmission. Student attitudes, quality of advisor-student interactions, and individual student circumstances are seen as…

The reliability of Nigeria's entry qualification examinations as a predictor of success at the university level is examined. Results indicate a positive correlation in the science-based fields and very low predictability in the social sciences. (JMF)

Discusses increased numbers of undergraduate psychology majors and strategies to reduce them. Proposes a prediction model based on the grade point average of graduating psychology students. Concludes that student performance in introductory psychology courses may provide one predictive measure of later achievement. (CFR)