Practical nurses can provide quality, cost-effective care in an ever-changing health care setting which is faced with a shortage of nurses. A community college system in the southeastern area of the United States began using the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) V as part of admission criteria for nursing programs. While Assessment…

Community colleges are typically assumed to be nonselective, open-access institutions. Yet access to college-level courses at such institutions is far from guaranteed: the vast majority of two-year institutions administer high-stakes exams to entering students that determine their placement into either college-level or remedial education. Despite…

A challenge presented to nurse educators is retention of nursing students. This has led nursing faculty to review admission requirements and question how well entrance tests predict success in Associate Degree Nursing Programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the HESI Admission Assessment Exam (HESI A2) and…

Multiple-choice tests of punctuation and usage are used throughout the United States to assess the writing skills of new community college students in order to place them in either a basic writing course or first-year composition. To determine whether using the COMPASS Writing Test (CWT) is a valid placement at a community college, student test…

Mindfulness, an ancient spiritual practice, is becoming an increasingly popular component of communication courses, training individuals to reserve judgment in their dealings with others. However, the effects of mindfulness in communication courses are not well researched. We compared students taking an introductory communication course that…

Since 1979, DeKalb Community College has used the Reading, English and Mathematics (REM) Test, which combines testing materials from three different sources, as an admissions and placement instrument. In spring 1984, a study was conducted to verify the results of a previous investigation, which had revealed significant correlation between REM Test…

A review of the literature indicates that the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) may be a viable instrument for screening students and predicting their academic success in particular circumstances. In 1981, a study was conducted at Schoolcraft College to determine the extent of the relationship between the reading abilities of entering students and…

Describes a study examining the relationship between scores on a Sentence Skills component of an English placement test and final course grades in a community college marketing course. Finds a significant positive correlation between scores and final grades, but one not strong enough to be used for predictive purposes. (13 citations) (BCY)

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)

A study was conducted at Scottsdale and Paradise Valley community colleges to assess the importance of math for the study of economic principles and the extent to which a student's math background determines performance in micro- and macro-economic courses. Students (N=156) from six economic principles classes were surveyed regarding their high…

In January 1982, Wytheville Community College (WCC) adopted the English Qualifying Exam (EQE) as its English placement instrument and made the exam mandatory for all students wishing to enter English 101 or 111 after the spring 1982 quarter. A study was conducted to determine the correlation between students' EQE scores and their English 101/111…

At study was undertaken at California's College of the Canyons (CoC) to investigate the relationship between students' self assessments of skills on Computerized Assessment and Placement Programs forms and results from assessment tests in mathematics, reading, and writing. Data were collected on students who enrolled at the college in fall 1995…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine the predictive validity of the Math Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests. A total of 1,137 students were tested in-class; 601 took the Algebra Readiness test, 376 took the Elementary Algebra test, and 160 took the Intermediate Algebra test. Two correlation…

In May 1991, Golden West College (California) conducted a validation study of the English portion of the Assessment and Placement Services for Community Colleges (APS), followed by a predictive validity study in July 1991. The initial study was designed to aid in the implementation of the new test at GWC by comparing data on APS use at other…

This study was conducted to determine the usefulness of a general global reading test, a cloze test, and a vocabulary test as predictors of success, as well as the effects of an extended required study skills program on success and achievement, for students in mechanics programs at Keewatin Community College in Manitoba, Canada. The three criteria…