Describes a modified method for determining class rank that addresses many problems associated with weighted and unweighted grade-point average calculations. Under the Class Rank Index System, class rank is determined jointly by overall performance in a student's courses and by a measure of difficulty of the student's overall course load. CRI…

This paper presents an analysis of two common seminar formats: those based on learning- strategies interventions and those based on academic socialization interventions. The results of a natural experiment allowed a comparison of the retention impact of a strategy-based seminar and a socialization-focused seminar. For both more and less…

Presents survey results of a study to determine if valedictorians differ from other superior students regarding background, homelife, hobbies, and future aspirations. Valedictorians surveyed were highly competitive and self-disciplined, driven by inner goals, participated in numerous hobbies and extracurricular activites, and had well-educated…

On March 28, 2003 the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a report titled "Race-Neutral Alternatives in Postsecondary Education: Innovative Approaches to Diversity." The purpose of this report is to describe a number of race-neutral approaches that postsecondary institutions across the United States are using. This staff assessment by the…

If colleges continue to insist that class rank is vital information and treat the rankings from the various schools as comparable data, then the professionals using that information have an obligation to present and use the concepts and the terminology accurately and uniformly. (Author)

Discusses how, criticized from the left and the right, class-rank admissions programs in three states (California, Texas, and Florida) seem to be having less of an impact than advertised, with elite campuses much less diverse than they were with affirmative action. (EV)

Studied the student pipeline at the University of Illinois at Chicago over a period of six years to pinpoint which attributes of entering students provide the best indicators of university success. Found that the best indicator is a modified high school percentile rank, designed specifically to take high school quality into account. (EV)

Three accounting teachers gave two tests and a comprehensive final to 417 undergraduates using one of three treatments: no comments written on test paper, comments at teacher's discretion, or standard comments. The type of comment did not affect subsequent test performance, but did significantly affect performance on final exam, especially for…

Asserts that college admission officers must take closer look at how they use high school rank in their deliberations. Contends that admission officers often give undue significance to rank. Describes statistical shortcomings of high school rank and notes personal cost to high school students. Proposes alternative weighted grade point average,…

Examines structural features of grade point averages (GPAs) and offers examples showing that GPAs cannot consistently determine class rank since class rank is sometimes permuted with arbitrary change of scale. Notes relativistic efforts to resolve inconsistencies are insufficient. Discusses the function of GPAs as predictors of academic…

In studies of the SAT, correlations of SAT scores, high school grades, and socioeconomic factors (SES) are usually obtained using a university as the unit of analysis. This approach obscures an important structural aspect of the data: The high school grades received by a given institution come from a large number of high schools, all of which have…

The present study investigates pre-business students' reaction to Activity Based Learning in a lower division core required course entitled Introduction to Global Business in the business curriculum at California State University Chico. The study investigates students' preference for Activity Based Learning in comparison to a more traditional…

According to the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), attending academically selective high schools negatively affects academic self-concept. Does the BFLPE persist after graduation from high school? In two large, representative samples of German high school students (Study 1: 2,306 students, 147 schools; Study 2: 1,758 students, 94 schools), the…

Previous studies have shown that students who intend to major in education have low SAT and ACT scores. Further, among those students who intended to major, those who do major have even lower average scores. This study also shows that those students who intend to major in education have lower average high school and college grade point averages.…