Medical schools with a diverse student body face the challenge of ensuring that all students succeed academically. Many medical schools have implemented prematriculation programs to prepare students from diverse backgrounds; however, evidence on their impact is largely lacking. In this study, we analyzed participants' demographics as well as the…

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…

For years, colleges have used placement exams to determine whether to deem incoming students "college ready" or assign them to developmental education. Emerging information reveals the tests have little correlation to students' future success, casting doubt on their use even as the high stakes for students of taking remedial courses become clear.…

Social skills function as a vehicle by which we negotiate important relationships and navigate the transition from childhood into the educational and professional experiences of early adulthood. Yet, for individuals who are deaf, access to these opportunities may vary depending on their preferred language modality, family language use, and…

Declining college admission test scores during the 1970s raised concerns that America's primary schools were inadequately preparing students for college or the workforce. Rock's (1985) analysis of SAT scores indicated that seniors in 1980 scoring at the 50th percentile for vocabulary would have placed at the 41st percentile in 1972. Mathematics…

This article describes the initial findings for students with learning disabilities from the first year of The Ohio Longitudinal Transition Study (OLTS). The study included 416 participants with learning disabilities who were exiting high school. Data from an in-school survey were analyzed by sample demographics (e.g. school setting, school type,…

Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) are two programs that allow high school students to earn college credits. The recent growth of these programs has been unprecedented. However, there is little evidence that compares how they fare in terms of improving college access and success. Using data from two cohorts of all high school…

This study examined the academic performance of Tech Prep students (referred to as participants) in comparison to non-Tech Prep students (referred to as non-participants) entering a two-year community college from sixteen different high schools in Stark County, Ohio. This study provided a quantitative analysis of students' academic experiences to…

This study examined, within the same sample, the effects of gender and race on the relationship between predictor measures of academic performance and subsequent first-year college performance for developmental studies students. (Author/PN)

Validity coefficients of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills, the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program (ACT), and high school percentile rank were calculated with cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at end of each of four years of college for 496 students entering through a special admissions program. The most valid predictor of…

Describes a study of the effectiveness of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school graduation class percentile, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), as predictors of short- and long-term academic achievement among a sample of 58 high-risk college freshmen who participated in 1-year special studies program. (PAA)

A comparative evaluation was made of the ability of four Academic Tests of the American College Test (ACT) Assessment Program and Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) to predict course grades and freshman grade-point average for students enrolled in a basic skills program at a large university. (Author/GK)

Contends that the high probability of error in placement decisions based on high school records and standardized test scores delays the academic development of many students placed unnecessarily in mandatory skill development programs. Advocates skills assessment based on current classroom performance. (DMM)

Classical multiple regression was compared with Bayesian m-group regression, complete with cross-validation. The setting was a post-developmental studies situation in a comprehensive community college. A secondary purpose of the study was to incorporate an advisor prediction of grade point average (GPA) as input into both regression procedures.…

In January 1982, Wytheville Community College (WCC) adopted the English Qualifying Exam (EQE) as a mandatory placement test for all students wishing to enter English 101 or 111 (two first-quarter, college-level courses). Although the EQE proved suitable for placing students and predicting the number of quarters that would be required to complete…