An Evaluation of a Technique for Scaling High School Grades To Improve Prediction of College Success

Lindquist, E. F.

doi:10.1177/001316446302300401

Cited by 29 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In an effort to improve the prediction of college GPA (CGPA) by HSGPA, a number of earlier studies attempted to adjust both the predictor and criterion grades (Bashaw, 1965;Bloom and Peters, 1961;Lindquist, 1963;Potthoff, 1964;Tucker, 1963). This approach, called "central prediction systems," was an attempt to control for school effects.…”

Section: Constructing a Universal Scale Of High School Course Difficultymentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing a Universal Scale of High School Course Difficulty

Bassiri

Schulz

2003

J Educational Measurement

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examined the usefulness of applying the Rasch rating scale model (Andrich, 1978) to high school grade data. ACT Assessment test scores (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science) were used as "common items" to adjust for different grading standards in individual high school courses both within and across schools. This scaling approach yielded an ACT Assessment-adjusted high school grade point average (AA-HSGPA) that was comparable across schools, cohorts, and among students within the same school and cohort who take different courses. The AA-HSGPA was constructed for all ACT-tested students (N=36,652) in 50 selected high schools. First-year college grades at a large public university were available for approximately 1,500 of these students. AA-HSGPA was a better predictor of first-year college grade point average (CGPA) than the regular high school grade point average (HSGPA). As expected, the regression of CGPA on HSGPA for high schools grouped by difficulty with regard to grading policy (easy or hard) differed, but the regressions of CGPA on AA-HSGPA and the ACT Composite score (ACTC) did not. The best model for predicting CGPA included both the ACT Composite score and AA-HSGPA. 1 Constructing a Universal Scale of High School Course DifficultyAs a measure of academic achievement, the grade point average (GPA) is limited by the extraneous effects of schools and courses. The problem of school effects was first to be recognized. Linn (1966) noted that variation in grading practices among high schools made the high school GPA (HSGPA) a sub-optimal predictor of achievement in college. The problem of course effects has received attention more recently. Students can earn a higher grade point average simply by taking easier courses. These problems fuel grade inflation at the high school level (Ziomek and Svec, 1995), and create incentives for students to avoid courses in difficult subjects such as mathematics and science (Johnson, 1997).In an effort to improve the prediction of college GPA (CGPA) by HSGPA, a number of earlier studies attempted to adjust both the predictor and criterion grades (Bashaw, 1965;Bloom and Peters, 1961;Lindquist, 1963;Potthoff, 1964;Tucker, 1963). This approach, called "central prediction systems," was an attempt to control for school effects. Disappointment with this approach centered largely on the practical difficulties of its implementation. It was difficult to find enough students from a given high school within a given college to estimate coefficients in nested regression equations. Data for one or more variables in the equations were frequently missing for many of the students who could be found. Linn (1966) noted that the accuracy of central prediction systems often was not so much better than that of simply using a standardized test, such as the ACT Assessment, in conjunction with HSGPA, to predict college achievement as to justify the cost and expense of these systems.In an attempt to construct more reliable, predictable measures of college achievement, scali...

show abstract

Section: Constructing a Universal Scale Of High School Course Difficultymentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing a Universal Scale of High School Course Difficulty

Bassiri

Schulz

2003

J Educational Measurement

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One possible outcome is greater predictability of freshman grades, sought in the past by such procedures as central prediction (Tucker, 1960), or adjustment of high-school grades (Lindquist, 1963).…”

Section: Other Possibilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consistent College Grading Standards Through Equating

Hills

1972

Educational and Psychological Measurement

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…This work has led to the belief that substantial increases in correlation can be effected by adjusting high school and college grades. Some later studies conducted by testing organizations (e.g., Lindquist, 1963;Watkins & Levine, 1969) (1963) and of Lunnebor-g and Lunneborg (1966,1967) with the more obvious differences in the overall difficulty levels at the various universities. Differences in le!1gths of prediction intervals reflect largely the amount of prior information on each of these universities.…”

Section: An Overview Of New Developments In Testing Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bayesian Guidance Technology

Novick

Jackson

1969

ETS Research Bulletin Series

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Personnel problems may be grouped together in many ways and the typical problem can usually be considered f'r-om more than one point of' view. We shall be restricting ourselves here to those problems that can conveniently be viewed as problems in guidance and/or selection. Another very use~l and contrasting grouping is that involving problems o~classi~ication. The classi~ication problem has recently been studied in depth by Rulon, Tiedeman, Tatsuoka and Langnmir (1967). Further ref'er-ences to this area may be f'ound

show abstract

An Evaluation of a Technique for Scaling High School Grades To Improve Prediction of College Success

Cited by 29 publications

References 1 publication

Constructing a Universal Scale of High School Course Difficulty

Constructing a Universal Scale of High School Course Difficulty

Consistent College Grading Standards Through Equating

Bayesian Guidance Technology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About