High School Class Rank Research Articles

ESTIMATING THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS METHODS OF PREPARING FOR THE SAT

ABSTRACTA national sample of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) candidates was surveyed to determine the ways in which they had prepared for the examination. Candidates' SAT scores were retrieved from test files, along with selected background information that included rank in high school class and scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which most students had taken about eight months before they took the SAT.Multiple regression analyses revealed effects of less than ten points on the 200‐800 SAT score scale and less than two points on the 20–60 score scale for the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) for each of the methods of test preparation. A significant number of negative effect estimates, coupled with significant differences between the background characteristics of preparing and nonpreparing groups, strongly suggested the influence of selection bias in the estimates. Exploratory analyses of the effects of combinations of methods of preparation showed that various methods may interact in complex ways with other methods and with some student traits. Furthermore, self‐selection may not be uniform across levels of ability and previous achievement, and may also depend on the candidates' selection of other methods of preparation. The implications of the results for the design of further research on the effects of special preparation for tests are discussed.

The Accelerated Medical Program And the Liberal Arts at Boston University

Since September 1961, fifteen classes have matriculated in Boston University's Six- Year College of Liberal Arts--Medical Education Combined Degree Program. The applicant pool is approximately three to four times larger now than in the earlier years, with classes averaging 50 students. Academic qualifications (high-school class rank and Scholastic Aptitude Test and College Board Achievement Test results) of the entering classes have been at a consistently high level. Fifty percent or more of the graduates receive the BA degree with honors; 10% or more receive the MD degree with honors. The degree of flexibility in the liberal arts component of the program has increased and currently exceeds that of the traditional four-year premedical curriculum. These data, together with additional information concerning postgraduate professional activities, indicate that the combined accelerated program has been successful.

High School Type, Sex, and Socio-Economic Factors as Predictors of the Academ Ic Achievement of University Students

Grade point average was predicted for a sample of 152 students in Principles of Economics classes at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. It was shown that knowledge of high school type, sex, number of credit hours taken, and perhaps dollar value of scholarships and number of hours of outside work could significantly increase the ability to predict grades beyond that accomplished through using rank in high school class and American College Testing Program (ACT) Composite Score.

Factors Affecting College Attendance

Factors Affecting College Attendance

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON THE PREDICTABILITY OF COLLEGE PERFORMANCE

Although numerous studies have examined the validity of scholastic aptitude measures as predictors of college performance for black and white students, few studies have investigated the validity of these predictors for different socioeconomic levels within a racially homogeneous population. To study the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on the predictability of college performance, a sample of 1,631 white freshmen attending a large urban university was divided into homogeneous subgroups on each of three measures: (a) family income, (b) father's occupation, and (c) mother's education. Verbal and Quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and high school class rank were used to predict freshman grade‐point average within each subgroup. For all three socioeconomic measures, lower cross‐validated multiple correlations were associated with lower levels of SES. Possible explanations for these results are discussed and implications for research are presented.

The case for open admissions

The case for open admissions

Selection and Context as Factors Affecting the Probability of Graduation from College

This study focuses on the relation of type of college attended to graduation as a factor in the educational selection process. The analysis is based on a sample of Wisconsin males who where followed up seven years after graduation from high school. Because different types of institutions select different types of students, it is necessary to control relevant student characteristics to determine the existence of contextual effects. A stepwise multiple regression analysis shows that type of college attended explains a small but significant proportion of variance in college graduation beyond what can be accounted for by measured intelligence, rank in high school class, socioeconomic background, and level of occupational aspiration in high school. Other findings are that different types of colleges have different effects for students of different socioeconomic status and intelligence levels and that the selection process into different types of schools has some effect on the overall educational selection process.

Teachers’ Ratings, Sex, and SCAT as Predictors of Rank in High School Class

Data from 561 high-school seniors were analyzed using multiple linear regression to determine the independent contribution of each variable to the criterion of rank in class (R). Significant F ratioswere obtained for SCAT V and Q, teachers’ ratings of Accuracy (ACCU), Effort and Industry (E-I), and Reliability and Responsibility (R-R). R-R and ACCU, but not E-I, were found to be significant preditors of SCAT V and SCAT Q. Females were significantly higher than males on R, ACCU, E-I, and R-R and lower on SCAT Q. The data were interpreted as supporting the effectiveness of teachers’ ratings in predicting academic performance in high school. Females’ superior performance on teacher ratings was interpreted as evidence that females conformed more than males to teachers’ expectations.

The Influence of Ethnic Grouping on Scat, Teachers' Ratings, and Rank in High School Class

The Influence of Ethnic Grouping on Scat, Teachers' Ratings, and Rank in High School Class

Predictive Validity of a Brief Test of Academic Aptitude

This paper reports intercorrelations among Control Test for Academic Aptitude (CTAA) scores, SAT-V, SAT-M, student reported high school GPA, and student reported high school class rank for entering freshmen at three liberal arts colleges. Given the research purpose to which the 30-item, 12-minute CTAA is limited–providing a statistical control for aptitude in research using the College Student Questionnaires–the test was concluded to be adequately valid (r's with freshman GPA of .40, .51 and .39).

PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF A BRIEF TEST OF ACADEMIC APTITUDE

ABSTRACTThis paper reports intercorrelations among Control Test for Academic Aptitude (CTAA) scores, SAT‐V, SAT‐M, student reported high school GPA, and student reported high school class rank for entering freshmen at three liberal arts colleges. Given the research purpose to which the 30‐item, 12‐minute CTAA is limited–providing a statistical control for aptitude in research using the College Student Questionnaires–the test was concluded to be adequately valid (r's with freshman GPA of .40, .51 and .39).

Prediction of Success in Physics for High-Ability Students—A Small Sample Study

Fifteen commonly available measures of achievement and intelligence are analyzed for a test group of high-ability physics students in an attempt to establish their contributions to the variance of physics scores in a college physics course. Two regression equations are given for prediction of success in physics for this group. It is concluded that: (1) success in physics for this group is not significantly correlated with measured Otis I.Q., social studies subtest of ACT, high-school grade-point average, or rank in high-school class; (2) there is no advantage or disadvantage for the test group in having taken physics in high school; (3) better evaluation practice is needed at the college-physics level in order to extend the study; (4) better evaluation instruments are needed for testing high-ability students.

Forecasting Marks of New Plan Students at the University of Chicago

General studies.-A number of studies concerned with the prediction of achievement in college have isolated three factors which seem to show a more consistent significant relation to success in college than any other predictive measures studied, namely, rank in high-school graduating class, average high-school mark, and score on a scholastic-aptitude test. In Douglass' study' the average highschool mark seemed to be the best predictive measure of college success, but Johnston,2 Henmon and Holt,3 and Goldthorpe4 give data which indicate that average rank in high-school class is the best of the three measures for predicting college achievement. Studies at the University of Chicago.-The predictive efficiency of the three measures varies considerably from institution to institution, partly because of factors related to the measures themselves and to the measuring process and partly because of conditions within the institutions. The results of previous studies made at the University of Chicago are briefly reported here. Between high-school marks and university-grade points, Scates reports a coefficient of

High School Class Rank of Students Entering Colorado Schools of Nursing

High School Class Rank of Students Entering Colorado Schools of Nursing