A statistical model for investigating predictive validity at highly selective institutions is described. When the selection ratio is small, one must typically deal with a data set containing relatively large amounts of missing data on both criterion and predictor variables. Standard statistical approaches are based on the strong assumption that…

When either regression models or subjectively-weighted models are used as aids in making placement decisions, the discriminant validity of these models is questioned. The validity of several regression models and of subjectively weighted models was investigated in two experiments. (Author/JKS)

Two approaches are used to assess the one-month stability of depression affect in college students: (1) a high retest correlation is demonstrated for a latent depressive affect construct using self-reports from the previous month; and (2) predictive validity of depressive categorization is examined using logistic regression techniques. (Author/LMO)

The present study examined and evaluated the application of linear policy-capturing models to the real-world decision task of graduate admissions. Utility of the policy-capturing models was great enough to be of practical significance, and least-squares weights showed no predictive advantage over equal weights. (Author/CTM)

The reliability and validity of a tailored testing procedure based on the simple logistic model was determined for an achievement test in statistics and measurement. The test was administered on a CRT terminal to students from graduate and undergraduate measurement courses. Equivalent form reliability over a one-week interval was found to be 0.595…

A search for better predictors of incomes of high school and college graduates is described. The accuracy of the prediction, implicit in the work of John R. Walsh of Harvard University, that the income differences in a given year are good indicators of income differences in future years, was tested by applying standard statistical procedures to…

A general linear model (GLM), using least-squares techniques, was used to develop a criterion measure to replace freshman year grade point average (GPA) in college admission predictive validity studies. Problems with the use of GPA include those associated with the combination of grades from different courses and disciplines into a single measure,…

Item response theory (IRT) is used to develop a form of adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA) for use in predicting college academic performance appropriately for males and females. For 1,564 students at Stanford University (California), the IRT-based GPA was more predictable from preadmission measures than the cumulative GPA. (SLD)

Classical statistical methods and the small enrollments in graduate departments have constrained the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Validity Study Service to providing only validities for single predictors. Estimates of the validity of two or more predictors, used jointly, are considered too unreliable because the corresponding prediction…

Previous research has studied the effects of different methods of item option weighting on the reliability and concurrent and predictive validity of achievement tests. Increases in reliability are generally found, but with mixed results for validity. Several methods of producing option weights, (i.e., Guttman internal and external weights and…

This study examined the accuracy of predictions of college grades in English, mathematics, social studies, and natural science courses, and the accuracy of predictions of overall freshman grade point average (GPA) based on American College Testing Program (ACT) assessment test scores and on high school course work and grade information from the…

The effectiveness of the freshman admissions prediction equation (FAPE) at the University of Georgia (Athens) was studied, using data for 3,378 freshman (1,490 males and 1,888 females) in 1987-88. For the 1987-88 data, a previous (1982) prediction equation functioned poorly in terms of predictive accuracy. New prediction models were constructed…

This report explores the student background characteristics that might be associated with success or failure in calculus and evaluates the effectiveness of remedial mathematics education. The sample consisted of two groups at the University of California, Santa Cruz: (1) all students (105) who took first quarter calculus in spring, 1985; and (2)…

Uses the general linear model to develop an adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA) that systematically models grading effects among courses. A validation study using 778 courses of 1,564 Stanford (California) University students shows an increase in predictability of the adjusted least-squares GPA over the unadjusted GPA. (SLD)

The effectiveness of a model for determining a minimal cut-off score for criterion-referenced tests was examined. The model, based upon techniques presented originally by Nedelsky and by Angoff, was first used in conjunction with a multiple choice test developed for use in certifying school counselors in Georgia. A "knowledge estimation panel" was…