A Comparison of the Predictive Validities of Selected Academic Tests of the American College Test (Act) Assessment Program and the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills for College Freshmen in a Basic Skills Program

Abstract

A comparative evaluation was made of the ability of the four Ac ademic Tests of the American College Test (ACT) Assessment Pro gram and the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) to pre dict course grades and freshman grade-point average for 496 students enrolled in a basic skills program at a large four-year mid western university. Multiple regression analyses indicated that per formance in basic skills courses, notably reading and writing, can be predicted equally well by a subset of the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program or a subset of the DLTS. Performance in a basic skills mathematics course was predicted considerably more ac curately by three of the four Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program as opposed to one subtest from the DTLS. Grade point av erage was predicted equally well with selected subtests from both in struments.