The Identification of Students Likely to Fail the North Carolina Competency Tests

Abstract

The study investigated the degree to which it was possible to identify students who were likely to fail a high school competency test from data contained in their cumulative folders. The criterion measures were students' scores on the reading (SHARP) and math (TOPICS) tests of the North Carolina Competency Test. The predictor variables included: sex; race; paternal and maternal educational level; sixth and ninth grade subtest scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills; and eighth grade subtest scores on the Differential Aptitude Test. The results indicated that a subset of the predictors could be utilized to accurately identify students who were likely to fail the SHARP and TOPICS.

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