Coaching for the SAT: A Summary of the Summaries and an Update

Powers, Donald E.

doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.1993.tb00530.x

Cited by 57 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Indeed, 70 percent of privileged seniors use some test preparation activities (30 percent use more than one type of training), compared with less than half of low-SES students (Buchmann, Roscigno, and Condron 2006;see also Briggs 2001;McDonough 1994;NACAC 2009;Powers 1993). Affluent students also take the test multiple times, improving their scores (Vigdor and Clotfelter 2003).…”

Section: --American Sociological Reviewmentioning

confidence: 95%

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

2009

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This study develops a comprehensive theoretical framework regarding the evolution of the class divide in postsecondary education. I conceptualize three prototypes of class inequality—effectively maintained, declining, and expanding—and associate their emergence with the level of competition in college admissions. I also unearth the twin mechanisms, exclusion and adaptation, that link class hierarchy to a highly stratified postsecondary system in an allegedly meritocratic environment. Intra- and inter-cohort comparisons reveal that while the class divide regarding enrollment and access to selective postsecondary schooling is ubiquitous, it declines when competition for slots in higher education is low and expands during periods of high competition. In such a regime of effectively expanding inequality (EEI), a greater emphasis on a certain selection criterion (like test scores) in admission decisions—required to sort the influx of applicants—is bolstered by class-based polarization vis-à-vis this particular criterion. This vicious cycle of exclusion and adaptation intensifies and expedites the escalation of class inequality. The results show that adaptation is more effective than exclusion in expanding class inequality in U.S. higher education.

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Section: --American Sociological Reviewmentioning

confidence: 95%

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

2009

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“…Numerous studies have explored the effects of test coaching and pretesting on performance in ability tests (e.g., Allalouf & BenShakhar, 1998;LeGagnoux, Michael, Hocevar, & Maxwell, 1990;Powers, 1985Powers, , 1987Powers & Rock, 1999). The major findings of these studies are summarized in the reviews by Bond (1989) and Powers (1993), and in various meta-analyses (Becker, 1990;DerSimonian & Laird, 1983;Kulik, Bangert-Drowns et al, 1984;Kulik, Kulik, & Bangert-Drowns, 1984;Messick & Jungeblut, 1981;Samson, 1985;Willson & Putnam, 1982). Table 1 documents the results of the most frequently cited meta-analyses by Becker (1990) and Kulik, Bangert-Drowns, and Kulik (1984).…”

Section: Effects Of Coaching and Pretestingmentioning

confidence: 94%

Coaching for the PISA test

Brunner

Artelt

Krauss

et al. 2007

Learning and Instruction

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“…Previous empirical studies, particularly those in educational measurement, shed light on the effects of test preparation programs on cognitive test performance. For instance, Powers's (1993) summary of four previously published meta-analyses of preparation courses for the SAT ® and later studies showed that empirical results do not necessarily support a common belief that test preparation can lead to dramatic score improvement. According to Powers, the expected average score gains attributable to coaching were only 3 points on the SAT Verbal section and 17 points on the SAT Mathematics section (both on the scale of 200-800 points), suggesting that the effects of coaching on SAT scores may be modest at best.…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Test Preparation On Score Improvement and Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Different Levels of Performance Feedback on TOEFL iBT^® Reading Practice Test Performance

Sawaki

2017

ETS Research Report Series

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College Board is composed of schools, colleges, school systems, and educational associations; GRE Board members are associated with graduate education. The test is now wholly owned and operated by ETS.ETS administers the TOEFL program under the general direction of a policy board that was established by, and is affiliated with, the sponsoring organizations. Members of the TOEFL Board (previously the Policy Council) represent the College Board, the GRE Board, and such institutions and agencies as graduate schools of business, 2-year colleges, and nonprofit educational exchange agencies.Since its inception in 1963, the TOEFL has evolved from a paper-based test to a computer-based test and, in 2005, to an Internet-based test, the TOEFL iBT ® test. One constant throughout this evolution has been a continuing program of research related to the TOEFL test. From 1977 to 2005, nearly 100 research reports on the early versions of TOEFL were published. In 1997, a monograph series that laid the groundwork for the development of TOEFL iBT was launched. With the release of TOEFL iBT, a TOEFL iBT report series has been introduced.Currently this research is carried out in consultation with the TOEFL Committee of Examiners (COE). Its members include representatives of the TOEFL Board and distinguished English as a second language specialists from academia. The committee advises the TOEFL program about research needs and, through the research subcommittee, solicits, reviews, and approves proposals for funding and reports for publication. Members of the TOEFL COE serve 4-year terms at the invitation of the Board; the chair of the committee serves on the Board.Current (2016-2017) As part of its educational and social mission and in fulfilling the organization's nonprofit Charter and Bylaws, ETS has and continues to learn from and to lead research that furthers educational and measurement research to advance quality and equity in education and assessment for all users of the organization's products and services.

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Coaching for the SAT: A Summary of the Summaries and an Update

Cited by 57 publications

References 16 publications

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

Coaching for the PISA test

The Effects of Different Levels of Performance Feedback on TOEFL iBT^® Reading Practice Test Performance

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Coaching for the SAT: A Summary of the Summaries and an Update

Cited by 57 publications

References 16 publications

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

The Evolution of Class Inequality in Higher Education

Coaching for the PISA test

The Effects of Different Levels of Performance Feedback on TOEFL iBT® Reading Practice Test Performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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The Effects of Different Levels of Performance Feedback on TOEFL iBT^® Reading Practice Test Performance