A relatively simple way of measuring institutional effectiveness in relation to degree completion is to estimate the difference between an actual and predicted graduation rate, but the reliability and validity of this method have not been thoroughly examined. Longitudinal data were obtained from IPEDS for both public and private not-for-profit…

Community college students are often placed in developmental math courses based on the results of a single placement test. However, concerns about accurate placement have recently led states and colleges across the country to consider using other measures to inform placement decisions. While the relationships between college outcomes and such…

The merits of double exponential smoothing are discussed relative to other types of pattern-based enrollment forecasting methods. The basic assumptions and formulas for its use are outlined. The difficulties associated with selecting an appropriate weight factor are discussed, and the potential effect on prediction results is illustrated.…

A study of the persistence behavior of students who drop college courses included predictions concerning which students were most likely to drop courses, which courses were most likely to be dropped, and at what point in the semester students were most likely to drop courses. (Author/MLW)

A comparison of two forms of the College Entrance Examination Board's (CEEB) English Composition Test with four rhetoric final examinations in a basic English composition course indicated that the CEEB was more stable and yielded better item statistics while departmental examinations were more highly related to course grade. (Editor/JT)

This study at 21 colleges found that having entering freshmen write a short holistically scored essay added nothing to the prediction of freshman grade point average compared to predictions made from high school grade point average, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and a multiple-choice test of writing-related skills. (Author/DB)

Regressing adjusted grade point averages (GPAs) on freshman Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and high school GPAs increases the SAT's predictive validity. However, these adjusted SATs change only a small proportion of admissions decisions, do not increase freshman grades, but do change freshman class composition in some majors and limit…