Those Standardized Competency Examinations: What Do They Really Tell Us about Our Student Bodies? ASHE 1986 Annual Meeting Paper.

Scholastic and personal characteristics of students undertaking exit competency examinations are investigated. Research questions concerned: what the tests measure, whether the tests provide unique information or are duplicating other easily obtained measures, whether it is possible to increase the probability of student success by controlling early higher educational experiences, and whether a workable definition of competency can be inferred. Analysis was undertaken for 1,195 Kansas public university undergraduates who took the Pre-Professional Skills Tests in Math and English and the Nelson-Denny Reading Achievement Test. Information from transcripts was obtained on American College Testing Program scores, general education enrollment patterns, student classification, grade point average, and major. Based on multiple regression analysis, it was found that competency as defined by tests is a pure function of scholastic ability only at the extremes of the distribution, with personal factors manifesting increased importance in the definition of competency for the majority of the students involved. Included are suggested actions that can be taken by faculty, student service providers, and administrators in dealing with public demands for quality assurance. (SW)