While grade point averages and class rank are firmly entrenched in our educational system, they are not particularly reliable or valid indicators of student achievement. Introducing weighted grades creates additional problems. If schools were to eliminate this system, some motivation for grades and easy coursework would disappear. Includes four…

This study examines predictors of academic success in a private women's college. We investigated academic factors (e.g., high school grade point average, standardized test scores) and socioeconomic status (e.g., parents' occupation, need for financial aid) as possible predictors of academic success among White and non-White students. Data was…

The author has discovered that errors in grades often occur when scores are combined for final marks. These errors are not related to the grading individual assignments. Rather, they occur when teachers at all grade levels bring individual test and assignment scores together for the students' final grades. Unfortunately, professors of mathematics…

This study investigated ego developmental differences in adolescent academic orientations and academic achievement. A sample of 142 male and female high school students completed the Washington University Sentence Completion Test and self-report measures assessing academic locus of control, learning orientation (LO), and grade orientation (GO).…

Describes a modified method for determining class rank that addresses many problems associated with weighted and unweighted grade-point average calculations. Under the Class Rank Index System, class rank is determined jointly by overall performance in a student's courses and by a measure of difficulty of the student's overall course load. CRI…

This paper presents an analysis of two common seminar formats: those based on learning- strategies interventions and those based on academic socialization interventions. The results of a natural experiment allowed a comparison of the retention impact of a strategy-based seminar and a socialization-focused seminar. For both more and less…

Self-reported grades are heavily used in research and applied settings because of the importance of grades and the convenience of obtaining self-reports. This study reviews and meta-analytically summarizes the literature on the accuracy of self-reported grades, class ranks, and test scores. Results based on a pairwise sample of 60,926 subjects…

Presents survey results of a study to determine if valedictorians differ from other superior students regarding background, homelife, hobbies, and future aspirations. Valedictorians surveyed were highly competitive and self-disciplined, driven by inner goals, participated in numerous hobbies and extracurricular activites, and had well-educated…

On March 28, 2003 the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a report titled "Race-Neutral Alternatives in Postsecondary Education: Innovative Approaches to Diversity." The purpose of this report is to describe a number of race-neutral approaches that postsecondary institutions across the United States are using. This staff assessment by the…

If colleges continue to insist that class rank is vital information and treat the rankings from the various schools as comparable data, then the professionals using that information have an obligation to present and use the concepts and the terminology accurately and uniformly. (Author)

Discusses how, criticized from the left and the right, class-rank admissions programs in three states (California, Texas, and Florida) seem to be having less of an impact than advertised, with elite campuses much less diverse than they were with affirmative action. (EV)

Studied the student pipeline at the University of Illinois at Chicago over a period of six years to pinpoint which attributes of entering students provide the best indicators of university success. Found that the best indicator is a modified high school percentile rank, designed specifically to take high school quality into account. (EV)

Three accounting teachers gave two tests and a comprehensive final to 417 undergraduates using one of three treatments: no comments written on test paper, comments at teacher's discretion, or standard comments. The type of comment did not affect subsequent test performance, but did significantly affect performance on final exam, especially for…

Asserts that college admission officers must take closer look at how they use high school rank in their deliberations. Contends that admission officers often give undue significance to rank. Describes statistical shortcomings of high school rank and notes personal cost to high school students. Proposes alternative weighted grade point average,…