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…

Two competing definitions of test fairness and their differing implications are explained and illustrated, and data from a number of published studies on test bias are reanalyzed; the focus is on unfair bias that may exist in tests that are approximately equally valid for both majority and minority groups. (Author/JM)

Assessed the degree that home educational environment predicts reading achievement and student self-esteem in a study of 253 educationally disadvantaged urban elementary school students and their parents. Results showed home environment was a significant predictor of relative and standardized achievement as well as nonacademic self-esteem. (JAC)

The predictive validity of reading attitude, field independence, locus of control, and demographic variables for reading and mathematics achievement was investigated. Expressed Reading Difficulty, field independence, and locus of control all contributed substantially to the regression equation. (Author/CM)

The results of a predictive validity study of the new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) using criteria from the clinical years of undergraduate medical education are discussed. The criteria included course grades and faculty ratings of clerks in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. (Author/MLW)

Interrelationships among IQ, academic achievement, and teacher ratings of pupils' classroom achievement were evaluated in a large sample of children from various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. A substantial relationship between standardized measures of IQ and achievement was found and was independent of race, but decreased with increasing…

Used Light's Retention Scale totals, along with measures of achievement, and self-concept to predict academic, emotional, and social status at the end of the repeated first grade. Results suggest that Light's Retention Scale is neither reliable nor valid as a psychometric device. (Author/JAC)

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)

Discusses the most widely used individual intelligence tests: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Form L-M). Covers what the tests measure; psychometric or technical properties of the tests; and how test results are used. (JOW)

Multinomial logic and multiple discriminant analyses are used to predict probabilities that individuals will attain several occupational categories based on individual characteristics and qualifications. The authors found that their results vary substantially from women's actual occupational distribution. They conclude that a significant portion…

Over one thousand British primary schoolchildren completed the Crandall Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire. Comparisons with earlier American data provided similar results. The Crandall scale is more closely related to attainment than to intelligence, indicating that high internalized reinforcement responsibility provides a…

Examines the value of various types of college admission criteria and states that the most accurate predictors of future academic performance used to interpret grades earned at other institutions are the grade point average in previous courses and entrance achievement tests. Interviews and recommendation letters are of little value. (MF)

To examine the premise that an overall cutting score on Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) tests allows medical students to enter clinical training despite deficiencies in certain subjects, cutting scores on four BMS tests were compared with those of discipline subtests. The original premise was not supported. (MH)

The discriminant validity of two subscales of the Reynell Developmental Language Scales (RDLS) was investigated using data from 225 children given the RDLS at age 4 and the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities at age 5. Results support the hypothesis; the RDLS scales measure distinct but correlated language abilities. (SLD)

Traditional measures such as Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and grade point averages are not adequate to predict academic achievement of lower-achieving students. Combining traditional predictors with nontraditional ones (including psychological and cognitive variables) produces a more effective predictor model. (IAH)