Comparative Predictive Validities of the American College ...

COMPARATIVE PREDICTIVE VALIDITIES OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTS AND TWO OTHER SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TESTS

Leo Munday

RESEARCH REPORTS

August, 1965 No. 6

Published by Research and Development Division ? American College Testing Program P. 0. Box 168, Iowa City, Iowa 52240

Summary This investigation c o m p a r e d the p r e d i c ti v e validity of the A C T tests with the SAT and SCAT tests fo r a sample of 21 c o l l e g e s and universities. Grades in specific co u r s e s as w ell as o v e r - a l l grade point average were studied. Multiple R ' s were computed for each test battery. The A C T and SAT tests p o s s e s s e d about the same d e g r e e of p r e d i c t i v e validity, and both w e r e better p r e d i c t o r s than the SCAT. P re d ictiv e results varied f r o m sch o o l to sc h o o l and f r o m c o u r s e subject to c o u r se subject, thereby suggesting that predictive validity f o r individual c o l l e g e s and un ive r si t ie s and f o r s p e c i f i c subject matter areas should be established. In addition, a co lle g e 's c h o i c e be tween the A C T or SAT p ro bab ly can not be made on the bas is of their relative predictive validities, but rather should be made on the b a s i s of the total p r o g r a m s of s e r v i c e s o f f er ed by the r e s p e c t iv e testing agencies.

Compara tive P redictive Validities of the A m e r ic a n College Tests and Two Other Scholastic Aptitude Tests Leo Munday

Standardized tests of academic potential are used in nearly all A m e r i c a n c o l l e g e s and un iv e r si t ie s f o r a d m is s io n s and guidance p u r p o s e s . Institutions have a wide variety of such tests fr o m which to choose. While many considerations are relevant to this choice, a m ajor consid eration is predictive validity.

This r e p o r t c o m p a r e s the p r e d i c ti v e validi tie s of three of the m o s t wi d ely used tests o f s c h o la s t ic potential. The se w e r e the A m e r i c a n College Testing P r o g r a m ' s tests (ACT), the College Entrance E x a m ination B o a r d ' s Sc h ola st ic Aptitude T e s t (SAT), and the Educational Testing S e r v i c e ' s Sch oo l and C o ll e g e Ability T e s t (SCAT). The A C T battery co n s i s t s of tests in English, m a th em a tic s, s o c i a l studies, and natural s c i e n c e ; it r e q u i r e s 180 minutes. Both the SAT and the SCAT have v e r b a l and quantitative par ts ; the SAT r e q u i r e s 180 minutes and the SCAT re q u ir es 70 minutes.

Procedure Sample. Both A C T and SAT s c o r e s w e r e available f o r f r e s h m e n at five c o l l e g e s and un iv er si tie s which participated in the 1964 A C T R e s e a r c h S e r v i c e . A C T and SCAT s c o r e s w e r e also available f o r students at six other c o l l e g e s and un iv er si t ie s. Additional data from three other studies were made available to the in v es t ig a t o r. ^ In two of these (Chase, et al. , 19&3, K l i n g e l h o f e r ,

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