High participation systems (HPS) of higher education (HE) are common throughout the world. The consequences of HE expansion has attracted enough academic attention; however, much less discussed is the impact of the HE expansion on retaking the college entrance examination. Drawing upon China's provincial panel data, a battery of econometric…

Student data is an invaluable asset for driving educational success, yet it comes with significant responsibility. As states explore ways to enhance data privacy protections, they must strike a balance between safeguarding sensitive information and leveraging data for student success. This brief examines the best practices in student data privacy…

This paper aimed to investigate how the diversity of scientific methods is represented in practical items of college entrance examinations from three science subjects in China. The study was conducted based on the theoretical framework derived from Brandon's Matrix consisting of four types of scientific methods. National Papers for comprehensive…

ACT announced a series of enhancements designed to modernize the ACT test and offer students more choice and flexibility in demonstrating their readiness for life after high school. The enhancements provide students more flexibility by allowing them to choose whether to take the science assessment, thereby reducing the test length by up to…

In response to a call for research on using the SATs and ACTs for U.S.-based college and university admissions, researchers systematically interrogated the literature surrounding both tests, using a framework for validity evidence built upon the "Standards of Educational and Psychological Testing" and Kane's contemporary view of…

High-stakes exams are often administered at designated test centers, requiring many students to test in unfamiliar environments. We investigate whether such arrangements impact students' test performance and, by extension, access to educational opportunities. Using unique administrative data from China's national college entrance examination…

In this article, the author updates his prior studies of LSAT® scores (Nieswiadomy 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2017) using current data for 2022-23 law school applicants, finding that economics majors remain at or near the top of all applicants. Results of the previous studies showing economics majors scored well on the LSAT® have often been posted on…

Using data collected from students in the 2024 ACT®-tested graduating class, the author examined the relationship between students' educational aspirations and their parents' education level, as well as the relationship between students' aspirations and academic achievement. Among students in the 2024 ACT-tested graduating class, 42% provided…

Higher education institutions need to develop valid, fair, and objective selection methods. Current literature reporting the development and validation of new national large-scale selection tests is scarce. This two-phased study aimed to (1) develop and (2) evaluate the validity of the Finnish digital Universities of Applied Sciences Entrance…

We analyze admissions and transcript records for students at multiple Ivy-Plus colleges to study the relationship between standardized (SAT/ACT) test scores, high school GPA, and first-year college grades. Standardized test scores predict academic outcomes with a normalized slope four times greater than that from high school GPA, all conditional…

Academia and education advocates have reported a concern about the elimination of art and music education classes from high school curriculums in the United States. Studies using mean SAT test scores from 1984 and 1994 versions of the SAT test indicated participants who had art and music education classes had higher verbal and mathematical SAT…

Scientific methods have received widespread attention in recent years. Based on the analytical framework derived from Brandon's matrix consisting of four categories of scientific methods, this paper aims to conduct a content analysis to examine how the diversity of scientific methods is represented in college entrance chemistry examination papers…

This paper examines the political implications of China's Gaokao reform on the education system and its profound impact on Chinese students. It starts by exploring the historical background of China's educational reform, focusing on the development and changes of the Gaokao system through a comprehensive review of literature, analysis of policies…

In the 1930s, American colleges and universities began to screen applications using the SAT, a mass-administered, IQ-descended standardized test. The widespread adoption of the test accompanied the development of the world's first mass higher education system--and served to promote the idea that the United States was becoming a…

Many institutions were forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to change admissions policies as a response to logistical challenges around testing. However, even as logistical challenges have resolved, pandemic-era changes to higher education testing policies which reduced or eliminated testing requirements have remained in place in many schools. Now,…