This study reviews alternative admissions criteria that can be used to predict collegiate success. Data are from a 1999 review of Bachelor's Degree Attainment conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's data on college students, and the Texas Education Agency's Public Education Information…

This study examined the effects of using ACT Composite scores and high school averages in making college admission decisions for students from selected racial/ethnic groups. The analyses were based on 2 samples: an African American/Caucasian sample of 262,553 students from 43 postsecondary institutions and a Hispanic/Caucasian American sample of…

Recently NWEA completed a project to connect the scale of the WKCE with NWEA's RIT scale. Six Wisconsin school systems participated in the study, using test information from a group of over 1,500 students enrolled in fourth, eighth, and tenth grade who took both the WKCE and NWEA tests in the fall of 2003. Information from these tests was used in…

This secondary analysis of De Wolff and van IJzendoorn's (1997) meta-analysis of maternal behavior and attachment reexamined their conclusion that sensitivity was not a preferred predictor of attachment security. The meta-analysis included 66 studies with 123 effect sizes sorted through a combination of personal choice and homogeneity analysis…

The initial development of a testlet-based algebra test was previously reported (Wainer and Lewis, 1990). This account provides the details of this excursion into the use of hierarchical testlets and validity-based scoring. A pretest of two 15-item hierarchical testlets was carried out in which examinees' performance on a 4-item subset of each…

This project examined children's academic performance and psychological well-being in rural communities affected by mass layoffs. In one study (Study A), school level data were compared from similar communities where worksite closing had or had not occurred. Study B explored risk and resiliency processes in a sample of 55 rural Asian Pacific…

This study was designed to address questions of differential prediction of law school grades for various racial/ethnic minority subgroups. Differential prediction was evaluated by comparing the predicted and actual law school first-year grade point averages (FYAs) for various racial/ethnic subgroups within individual law schools based on…

This study examined the effect of specified demographic and psychological variables on the academic achievement of high school students from urban and rural settings (n=177). Psychosocial variables considered in this study were familism (perceived closeness of the family), perceived discrimination, time management, and home and school factors.…

This report describes efforts to create and test variables measuring students' high-school coursetaking in mathematics, foreign language, and science, using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) NELS:88 transcript file (National Center for Education Statitstics (NCES) projects 1.2.4.13 and 1.2.4.39). The first project…

All teacher evaluation forms completed in the arts and sciences division of a large community college were analyzed. Multiple regression was used to predict teacher rating. Items relating to teacher characteristics as perceived by the students (e.g., "tries to help students understand," etc.) had a consistant impact on rating. (Author/MLW)

The technique of scanning the college environment (on economic, social, technological, and political dimensions for strategic planning purposes) can help identify crucial issues, formulate goals, increase intrainstitutional understanding, and open opportunities. Internal and external communication will be increasingly important in higher education…

Briefly reviews the development of microcomputers and their impact on education. Future applications in the classroom are discussed as well as techniques to evaluate the effect of using microcomputer systems. (BK)

The high cost of compulsory admissions interviews and the lack of proven effectiveness in predicting academic success is discussed. Selective interviewing is seen as an effective compensatory device for overcoming culturally/racially biased test scores or grade point averages and as a recruitment mechanism. Suggestions for essay questions are…

A study on the validity of admissions predictions done at the University of Kansas is reported. The results show that interjudge reliability was low, predictions captured small proportions of total variance, and year-to-year variability was apparent. Suggestions for research include the study of faculty as admissions decision makers. (Author/MLW)

Data from a longitudinal study of Jefferson Medical College graduates were analyzed to determine levels of clinical competence in the first postgraduate year and relationships between postgraduate ratings and performance during medical school. It is concluded that in a substantial number of cases good and poor performance in the first postgraduate…