Assessment is a crucial component of gifted education. Not only does it facilitate the recognition of the potential and specific needs of gifted students, it also monitors the progress and growth of gifted students, and allows for the evaluation of gifted education programs. In the present review, we synthesize the literature on assessment in…

The number of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is growing rapidly and is expected to increase by approximately 1 million in the United States between 2012 and 2022 (Vilorio, 2014). People of many racial/ethnic minorities, however, including Hispanic people, are underrepresented among recipients of STEM degrees and among…

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest conducted this literature review to identify malleable factors that can be measured in K-12 settings and that predict students' postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) success (defined as enrolling in, persisting in, and completing a postsecondary STEM major or degree), particularly…

Recent studies have found a large earnings premium to attending a more selective college, but the mechanisms underlying this premium have received little attention and remain unclear. In order to shed light on this question, I develop a multidimensional signaling model relying on college grades and selectivity that rationalizes students' choices…

This thesis explored the history of calculator usage in mathematics classrooms in the United States since 1975 with a focus on the attitudes of parents, educators, and national organizations. The influence of historical events, people, organizations, research, and trends was explored in depth. Studying the changes that calculators have brought to…

Results of two surveys completed by scholarship recipients revealed that ACT scores and class ranking were important predictor variables for success in college. This study also showed a strong correlation between high school grade point average and freshman grade point average. (MKA)

This literature review examined the relationship between the type of mathematics courses taken and scholastic mathematics achievement. The paper concludes that there is a high correlation between types of mathematics courses taken and scholastic math achievement. Specifically, higher level mathematics courses enhance and foster analytical thinking…

Describes a study conducted at the University of West Florida with the Navy that investigated the effects of cooperative tutoring on academic performance. Treatments for the experimental and control groups are described, and performance based on cognitive style as determined by scores from the Group Embedded Figures Test is discussed. (24…

Declining test scores have been publicized throughout the nation for the past several years as a major educational issue. Because of the kinds of statements made, the conclusions drawn by educators and public alike, the San Mateo Educational Resources Center requested that a review of the literature and a bibliography be prepared that indicated…

Factors which relate to academic success for university freshmen were investigated. Objectives were to: determine which of six independent variables were most highly related to and predictive of a 2.0 (C) cumulative grade point average (GPA), the dependent variable, for two consecutive quarters; determine which combination of factors could most…

The available evidence pertaining to the decline in scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Program (ACT) is reviewed in terms of: the test, the test-taking population, the college bound population, the schools, and societal factors. The SAT score decline is described in both graphic and tabular form, and…

This research report is a review and analysis of all of the published studies during the past 25+ years (since 1974) in the area of differential validity/prediction and college admission testing. More specifically, this report includes 49 separate studies of differences in validity and/or prediction for different racial/ethnic groups and/or for…