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…

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.…

To discover whether high schools and colleges were following the 1971 guidelines on the use of rank in class (RIC) in college admissions decisions, the National Association of Secondary School Principals surveyed 257 public and private secondary schools and 126 public and private colleges across the nation. The survey questionnaire sought data on…

Discusses the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and its importance to colleges in admissions decisions. The author describes the admissions process, the role of test scores, and the relationships of class ranks and SAT scores to outcomes in college. (CT)

Results of a national survey on collegiate use of class rank have been analyzed in terms of the chief characteristics that are associated with differences in a college's practice: 1) public or private support, 2) two- or four-year institutions, 3) size of enrollment, 4) section of country; tables and commentary explain the findings. (Editor)

Various reasons are given for the unrealiability of class rank as an indicator of academic success; author is head of a small private college-preparatory school. (SP)

To investigate children's ability to infer their relative academic ability even when instructional groups are not overtly ranked, the author studied the level of agreement between individual junior-school pupils, their peers, and their teachers on class positions in English, mathematics, and creative writing. Agreement on rankings was high.…

The effectiveness of the Career Success Club, which engaged college students in career management activities, was measured by comparing 206 members and 212 nonmembers (170 freshmen, 125 sophomores/juniors, 123 seniors). Sophomores, juniors, and seniors displayed more enhanced career development than freshmen. (Contains 40 references.) (SK)

Analysis of data from 234 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) candidates (98 of whom failed at least 1 part of the exam) showed that higher grades in the CPA review course correlated with passing the first time. Higher high school class rank and larger high school class size influenced exceptional test performance. (SK)

Analysis of records of 50 first-year students in automotive technology identified American College Test (ACT) math score as a significant predictor of first-year performance. High school rank and composite ACT score were not significant predictors of college grade point average. (SK)

Self-reported grades are heavily used in research and applied settings because of the importance of grades and the convenience of obtaining self-reports. This study reviews and meta-analytically summarizes the literature on the accuracy of self-reported grades, class ranks, and test scores. Results based on a pairwise sample of 60,926 subjects…

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…