Data from the ALEKS-based placement program at the University of Illinois is presented visually in several ways. The placement exam (an ALEKS assessment) contains precise item-specific information and the data show many interesting properties of the student populations of the placement courses, which include Precalculus, Calculus, and Business…

Comprehension of statistics and research methods is crucial to understanding psychology as a science (APA, 2007). However, psychology majors sometimes approach methodology courses with derision or anxiety (Onwuegbuzie & Wilson, 2003; Rajecki, Appleby, Williams, Johnson, & Jeschke, 2005); consequently, students may postpone…

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…

Relationships between the ratings of interns by their supervisors, their peers, and the interns themselves on four dimensions are compared and analyzed in relationship to earlier measures of aptitude, achievement, and personality. Findings reported show supervisor ratings to be highest and admission variables to be unrelated to intern performance.…

This report assesses the validity, reliability, and efficiency of the Teachers' Rating Questionnaire (TRQ), a pupils' school success measure developed in connection with a 1961 longitudinal Study of Achievement. TRQ ratings on nearly 14,000 pupils, gathered in the Study of Achievement and a New Canadian Report, constituted the data source.…

Objective psychological measures, personal historical data, and seven criterion measures of performance were made on 67 physician extenders (MEDEX) in five consecutive classes at a southeastern university training site over a two year period, October 1972-April 1975. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors for each…

An investigation to address the issue of which objective factor would predict performance during the postgraduate year residency and to determine whether the performance of applicants from honors-pass-fail schools was predictable is reported. (MLW)

Data on the early prediction of learning problems was summarized by a meta analysis of 58 studies reporting correlations between measures administered in kindergarten or first grade and later reading achievement. The best single predictors of achievement were attention-distractibility, internalizing behavior problems, and language variables.…

This study sought to determine predictors of serious antisocial behaviors through use of multiple gating screening procedures. Kindergarten boys in 54 Montreal (Quebec, Canada) schools were assessed; then boys with high aggressiveness-hyperactivity-distractibility scores were observed for task-inappropriate behaviors and rated on inattention and…

A response to a previous article on predicting academic success of transfer students at the School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming, is presented. Posits that a multivariate predictor of a student's final grade point average would be a successful predictor tool. Presents an evaluation of those predictor equations. (MLW)

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…

In 1992, a study was conducted at Golden West College (California) to determine the predictive validity of the Math Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) tests. A total of 1,137 students were tested in-class; 601 took the Algebra Readiness test, 376 took the Elementary Algebra test, and 160 took the Intermediate Algebra test. Two correlation…

This study explored possible predictors of College Education Achievement Project students' success in college. Based on standardized test scores and teacher recommendations a multiple regression correlation was run with the grade point average of the first fifteen hours of regular college work. Correlations were run on male, female and combined…

In May 1991, Golden West College (California) conducted a validation study of the English portion of the Assessment and Placement Services for Community Colleges (APS), followed by a predictive validity study in July 1991. The initial study was designed to aid in the implementation of the new test at GWC by comparing data on APS use at other…

This study examined the relationship between students' academic performance in high school vis-a-vis their performance in the first year at college. The study analyzed data on students who graduated from Maryland high schools in the 1994-95 academic year and who were enrolled in 2- and 4-year Maryland public institutions or in one of 11…