This work asks one simple question: "how reliable is the method used by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to estimate projected rates of VET program completion?" In other words, how well do early projections align with actual completion rates some years later? Completion rates are simple to calculate with a…

Students routinely ignore negative feedback regarding their performances early in college science courses. In this study we analyzed the extent to which two standard forms of feedback, midterm and first-exam grades, correlated with final grades in several biology courses. The courses ranged from an introductory course for nonmajors to upper…

This article investigates three types of stage-sequential growth mixture models in the structural equation modeling framework for the analysis of multiple-phase longitudinal data. These models can be important tools for situations in which a single-phase growth mixture model produces distorted results and can allow researchers to better understand…

According to many higher education experts, merit scholarship screening methods discriminate against a disproportionate number of underrepresented minority (URM) students. The screening methods, however, favored individuals with the highest achievement test scores and above-average GPAs. The assumption in the common selection model is that test…

A longitudinal study determined if children's invented spelling served as a viable predictor of reading achievement and compared the predictive value of assessing children's invented spelling relative to other notable predictors, such as letter names, letter sounds, a concept of a word, and phonemic awareness. Subjects, 52 kindergarten children…

This study is phase one of a 4-year project. It was aimed at examining the predictive validity of six preschool screening instruments on later academic achievement. The six instruments were (1) the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, (2) the Sprigle School Readiness Screening Test, (3) the Anton Brenner Developmental Gestalt Test of School…

Compares the predictive validity of four indices of electoral conflict, three of which are based on the dissatisfaction theory of democracy. Uses a longitudinal study conducted in Washington. Results indicate that none of the formulas are predictors of school board incumbent defeat. (FMW)

Data for this study were collected during a comparative, longitudinal evaluation of a family medicine fellowship program covering the years 1979-87. The physician sample included 90 family physicians who had received fellowship training and 113 control physicians who have not participated in a fellowship training program. (MLW)

Mounting pressure in the policy arena to improve teacher productivity either by improving signals that predict teacher performance or through creating incentive contracts based on performance--has spurred two related questions: Are there important determinants of teacher productivity that are not captured by teacher credentials but that can be…

This research is part of a longitudinal study designed to compare measures of first-grade oral language with reading achievement at various grade levels. The original study constructed ten measures for oral language from interviews with 100 first graders and compared those measures to the reading achievement of the subjects at the end of first…

This article examines the relationship between grading systems and performance on national board examinations. The study demonstrates that board scores verify traditional grading as an indicator of student performance despite many variables; students who do well with traditional grades should do as well with national boards. (LBH)

The demographic accounting approach was applied to educational data to trace the movement of individuals among educational states such as different grade levels. Procedures were developed to match individual records on successive years of the Current Population Survey (CPS). Transition rates from one grade to the next were calculated for male and…

This report briefly summarizes the educational progress of a sample of children who took part in one of the earliest Head Start programs (1966). The report addresses the following questions: (1) Was participation in Head Start a factor in preventing retention in grade and/or special class placement? (2) Were there differences between Head Start…

Long term criteria of college performance, i.e., graduation in four years, cumulative GPA, credits earned, and graduating major, were studied in relation to a comprehensive pre-college battery administered in the high school (HS) junior year. Despite restricting the sample to 1,633 university students who had progressed to junior standing in three…

The relationships between teacher ratings and standardized achievement tests as measures of student progress are investigated. Initial teacher ratings of pupils in grade 3 and subsequently in grade 6, were contrasted to scores obtained on the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). It was found that a teacher's rating does not provide the same…