Remediation is one of the largest single interventions intended to improve outcomes for underprepared college students, yet little is known about the remedial screening process. Using administrative data and a rich predictive model, we find that severe mis-assignments are common using current test-score-cutoff-based policies, with…

At an annual cost of roughly $7 billion nationally, remedial coursework is one of the single largest interventions intended to improve outcomes for underprepared college students. But like a costly medical treatment with non-trivial side effects, the value of remediation overall depends upon whether those most likely to benefit can be identified…

Research has often found that, when high school grades and SAT scores are used to predict first-year college grade-point average (FGPA) via regression analysis, African-American and Latino students, are, on average, predicted to earn higher FGPAs than they actually do. Under various plausible models, this phenomenon can be explained in terms of…

This paper considers the model of school effectiveness (SE) currently dominant in research, policy and practice in England (although the concerns it raises are international). It shows, principally through consideration of initial and propagated error, that SE results cannot be relied upon. By considering the residual difference between the…

The use of microworlds (MWs), or complex dynamic systems, in educational testing and personnel selection is hampered by systematic measurement errors because these new and innovative item formats are not adequately controlled for their difficulty. This empirical study introduces a way to operationalize an MW's difficulty and demonstrates the…

This paper summarizes much of the available information concerning the reliability and validity of the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests). The data suggest that the results are sufficiently reliable for continued use and that the validity evidence generally supports the intended uses of the tests. (Author/LMO)

Since 1964, colleges have been sending data to the College Board Validity Study Service in order to determine the degree to which measures used in admissions predict college performance. These studies have allowed for the monitoring of general trends in the relationship of SAT scores and high school grades with freshman grades. Beginning in the…

Accurate estimation of variance components used in generalizability theory is essential for the theory to be viewed as an efficacious mechanism for studying the reliability and validity of a measurement procedure. This paper explores two alternatives for dealing with the apparent instability of small sample size used in determining the accuracy of…

There are both strengths and weaknesses of using standardized test scores as a criterion for admission to institutions of higher education. The relative importance of scores is dependent on the institution's degree of selectivity. In general, decision processes and admissions criteria are not well defined. Advantages of test scores include: use of…