ERIC Number: ED278687
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1986-Nov
Pages: 14
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The College Admissions Equation: ACT Scores Versus Secondary School Grade Performance.
Thornell, John; Jones, Reid
This study examined the value of the American College Testing Program (ACT) and secondary school performance as predictors of academic performance in college. Multiple regression was used to establish a prediction equation for grade-point average (GPA) at the end of the first term of the freshman year as the dependent variable and ACT and high school percentile rank as predictor variables. The sample was composed of 100 entering freshmen at a small state university in Mississippi. Subjects were picked at random from an alphabetical listing of the population of 585 entering freshmen in 1980. Records in the University Registrars Office were used to acquire information on the variables being studied. Results showed significant correlations between high school rank and GPA as well as between ACT and GPA. The subtests of the ACT were also significantly related to GPA, but none as highly correlated as the composite ACT. Although the ACT did contribute to the prediction equation, secondary school performance was a better predictor than the ACT composite using first semester freshman GPA as a dependent variable. In view of these findings, changes in the admissions policies for public universities in Mississippi are recommended. (LMO)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Admission Criteria, College Admission, College Entrance Examinations, College Freshmen, Correlation, Declining Enrollment, Enrollment Trends, Grade Point Average, Grade Prediction, High Schools, Higher Education, Predictive Validity, Predictor Variables, Regression (Statistics)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A