scholarly journals Using Standardized Test Scores to Include General Cognitive Ability in Education Research and Policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wai ◽  
Matt Brown ◽  
Christopher Chabris
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
High Status ◽  
General Cognitive Ability

In education research and education policy, much attention is paid to schools, curricula, and teachers, but little attention is paid to the characteristics of students. Differences in general cognitive ability (g) are often overlooked as a source of important variance among schools and in outcomes among students within schools. Standardized test scores such as the SAT and ACT are reasonably good proxies for g and are available for most incoming college students. Though the idea of g being important in education is quite old, we present contemporary evidence that colleges and universities in the United States vary considerably in the average cognitive ability of their students, which correlates strongly with other methods (including international methods) of ranking colleges. We also show that these g differences are reflected in the extent to which graduates of colleges are represented in various high-status and high-income occupations. Finally, we show how including individual-level measures of cognitive ability can substantially increase the statistical power of experiments designed to measure educational treatment effects. We conclude that education policy researchers should give more consideration to the concept of individual differences in cognitive ability as well as other factors.

scholarly journals Health and Academic Achievement: Cumulative Effects of Health Assets on Standardized Test Scores Among Urban Youth in the United States

2013 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette R. Ickovics ◽  
Amy Carroll-Scott ◽  
Susan M. Peters ◽  
Marlene Schwartz ◽  
Kathryn Gilstad-Hayden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cumulative Effects ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Health Assets ◽  
Health And Academic Achievement

scholarly journals The Impact Of Lecture Capture On Student Performance In Business Courses

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Terry ◽  
Anne Macy ◽  
Robin Clark ◽  
Gary Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Grade Point Average ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Lecture Capture ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Business Courses

This paper examines the effect of the e-learning technology of lecture capture on the performance of undergraduate business students in business law, economics, finance, and management courses. The sample consists of 890 student observations at a midsized regional institution located in the Southwestern region of the United States. The dependent variable is percentage score on a comprehensive final exam in advanced business courses. The empirical model controls for effort, grade point average, standardized test scores (SAT/ACT), and instruction mode. Demographic variables are gender, ethnic background, age, major, and transfer students. Effort measured via homework score, grade point average, ability measured via standardized test scores, academic major, and access to lecture capture are the five model variables that are positive and statistically significant. Age, classification as a transfer student, and online courses without lecture capture are the three statistically significant variables with a negative coefficient. The demographic variables associated with African-American, Hispanic, and gender are not statistically significant determinants of performance on the final exams. The results indicate that students completing business courses with access to lecture capture score approximately three percent higher on the final exam, holding other factors constant.

The Whole Town is Talking About it… “Math Month,” That is

1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 170-173
Author(s):  
Donna DeCasas Szemcsak ◽  
Oliver J. West
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Mathematics Instruction ◽  
Elementary Mathematics ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Elementary Mathematics Instruction

As most parents are aware, a nationwide concern exists about elementary mathematics instruction. We constantly hear that the United States lags behind other countries in standardized test scores.

scholarly journals Geographic Variation in the Gender Differences in Test Scores

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin G Pope ◽  
Justin R Sydnor
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Math And Science ◽  
Science Scores ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
New Perspective

The causes and consequences of gender disparities in standardized test scores—especially in the high tails of achievement—have been a topic of heated debate. The existing evidence on standardized test scores largely confirms the prevailing stereotypes that more men than women excel in math and science while more women than men excel in tests of language and reading. We provide a new perspective on this gender gap in test scores by analyzing the variation in these disparities across geographic areas. We illustrate that male–female ratios of students scoring in the high ranges of standardized tests vary significantly across the United States. This variation is systematic in several important ways. In particular, states where males are highly overrepresented in the top math and science scores also tend to be states where women are highly overrepresented in the top reading scores. This pattern suggests that states vary in their adherence to stereotypical gender performance, rather than favoring one sex over the other across all subjects. Furthermore, since the genetic distinction and the hormonal differences between sexes that might affect early cognitive development (that is, innate abilities) are likely the same regardless of the state in which a person happens to be born, the variation we find speaks to the nature-versus-nurture debates surrounding test scores and suggests environments significantly impact gender disparities in test scores.

scholarly journals Combining Outcome-Based and Preference-Based Matching: A Constrained Priority Mechanism

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Avidit Acharya ◽  
Kirk Bansak ◽  
Jens Hainmueller
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Real World ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Market Design ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Strategy Proof

Abstract We introduce a constrained priority mechanism that combines outcome-based matching from machine learning with preference-based allocation schemes common in market design. Using real-world data, we illustrate how our mechanism could be applied to the assignment of refugee families to host country locations, and kindergarteners to schools. Our mechanism allows a planner to first specify a threshold $\bar g$ for the minimum acceptable average outcome score that should be achieved by the assignment. In the refugee matching context, this score corresponds to the probability of employment, whereas in the student assignment context, it corresponds to standardized test scores. The mechanism is a priority mechanism that considers both outcomes and preferences by assigning agents (refugee families and students) based on their preferences, but subject to meeting the planner’s specified threshold. The mechanism is both strategy-proof and constrained efficient in that it always generates a matching that is not Pareto dominated by any other matching that respects the planner’s threshold.

Predicting academic success for students of color within STEM majors

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gipson
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
College Success ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Standardized Test Scores ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Gpa ◽  
High School Gpa

Purpose The aim of this study is to determine what pre-college characteristics predict college success for students of color enrolled within science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA) after three years of initial enrollment. Design/methodology/approach To increase the generalizability by avoiding a single-year focus, the sample includes 954 first-year students entering one predominantly White research university during Fall 2010, Fall 2011 and Fall 2012 (Allen and Bir, 2011); GPAs were collected following three years of initial enrollment. IBM statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) Statistics 22 was utilized to conduct correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Findings Within all conditional models, after controlling for multiple variables, the number of advanced placement (AP) credits, standardized test scores and specific type of high school GPA were significantly related to cumulative college GPA after three years of enrollment. However, when multiple forms of high school GPA were included within a full model, only the number of AP credits and standardized test scores remained statistically related to cumulative college GPA. Further, high school core GPA is more strongly correlated with cumulative college GPA after three years of enrollment than overall high school GPA, high school science GPA and high school mathematics GPA. Originality/value This study adds to prior research by identifying that high school core GPA is an important predictor of college success and that the cumulative effect of enrollment within AP credits may be more beneficial than the cumulative effect of involvement within dual enrollment courses.

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