ERIC Number: ED237020
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1982
Pages: 6
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Testing in the Process of College Admissions and Student Guidance and Placement. Testimony to the National Commission on Excellence in Education. (Public Hearing, Chicago, Illinois, June 23, 1982).
Kean, Michael
The usefulness of tests for college admissions decisions, guidance, and student placement is discussed by a representative of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Since high school curricula often vary among schools in both content and quality, standardized test scores provide a common measure of applicant performace and indicate a grasp of certain skills, concepts, and knowledge. Test scores combined with other indicators enhance the ability to predict accurately how an applicant is likely to do in a particular institution. Test scores can also be useful to postsecondary institutions' decisions relative to the guidance and placement of students. Guidance profiles can be helpful in identifying students' interests and developing long-range goals. Additionally, test data can help the institution determine what its course offerings should be. ETS is conducting research to identify factors other than academic ability that might influence college admissions decisions. These nonacademic characteristics are personal qualities, some of which are related to different types of success in college. Diagnostic tests, which can be helpful in improving the teaching-learning process, provide information on student progress toward specific learning outcomes. (SW)
Publication Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Educational Testing Service, Evanston, IL.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A