Any student who sweats through the ACT or SAT has reason to ask why such examinations are even necessary. Some colleges, it seems, can offer a more convincing explanation than others.
Although most four-year institutions require standardized tests, only half (51 percent) measure how well test scores predict student success on their own campuses. Of those, 59 percent do so annually.
Those findings come from a new report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which surveyed more than 400 colleges to learn more about how its members use entrance exams — and evaluate their usefulness.
The report describes the prevalence of predictive validity studies, which gauge the correlation between admission criteria and specific outcomes, such as first-year grade-point averages. In short, the studies help colleges understand the extent to which their selection tools — grades and test scores — help forecast future performance.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/Many-Colleges-Don-t-Put/236801