A Comparison of the Predictive Validities of Selected Academic Tests of the American College Test (Act) Assessment Program and the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills for College Freshmen in a Basic Skills Program

Abstract

A comparative evaluation was made of the ability of the four Academic Tests of the American College Test (ACT) Assessment Program and the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) to predict course grades and freshman grade-point average for 496 students enrolled in a basic skills program at a large four-year midwestern university. Multiple regression analyses indicated that performance in basic skills courses, notably reading and writing, can be predicted equally well by a subset of the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program or a subset of the DLTS. Performance in a basic skills mathematics course was predicted considerably more accurately by three of the four Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program as opposed to one subtest from the DTLS. Grade point av erage was predicted equally well with selected subtests from both instruments.EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL *EASV&dquo;MENT 1990,40 -' POSTSECONDARY institutions over the past decade have modified their admissions criteria in order to identify students who would not normally be admitted to college but who have the potential for satisfactory work. Many of these students are drawn from racial minorities and/or low socio-economic status (SES) groups. Although it is assumed that they possess the necessary intellectual ability to meet the academic demands of college, they are often seriously deficient in such basic skills as reading comprehension, writing, and mathematics. In response to the needs of these students, many colleges have estabat CORNELL UNIV on June 25, 2015 epm.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Academic Support Services and the Success of High-Risk College Students

“…Once again, the results received with this particular sample contradict those found in the literature(Kirkland & Hollandsworth, 1979;Snowman et al, 1980; Ya- magishi & Gillmore, 1980).…”

ACT and general cognitive ability

“…Stumpf and Stanley (2002) found that ACT scores show a .70 correlation with college graduation rates. In addition, ACT scores have been shown to correlate with college GPA from .54 to .63, and the ACT math subtest correlates with math GPA from .48 to .64 (Koretz & Berends, 2001;Pettijohn, 1995;Sibert & Ayers, 1989;Snowman, Leitner, Snyder, & Lockhart, 1980). Composite ACT scores are generally better at predicting college GPA than is high school GPA, especially at high levels of ability (Noble & Sawyer, 2002).…”