The WISC-R as a predictor of achievement

This study investigated the validity of the WISC-R IQs as predictors of achievement as measured by the PIAT. Both tests were administered to 188 children referred to the author because of learning problems. Regression analyses were run with each of the PIAT subtests and the total score as criteria and the WISC-R IQs as predictors. Each of the IQs was a significant predictor of each of the PIAT subtests, but the Verbal IQ predicted best. Regression equations were provided and several indications of the importance of the results were presented.     

The relationship of the WISC-R and WRAT: A study based upon a selected population

So as to compare predicted achievement based upon WISC-R IQs and observed achievement by the WRAT standard scores, both instruments were administered by the same school psychologist to 282 urban students referred for psychological evaluation. The correlations obtained, even on this nonrandom population, were substantial, significant (p < .001), and should be useful to school psychologists in statistically relating intelligence test scores to school achievement.     

Relationship between WISC-R and WRAT in children referred for learning difficulties

Correlations between the WISC-R Full, Verbal, Performance, and Freedom from Distractibility Scale IQs, WISC-R subtest scaled scores, and Wide Range Achievement Test Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores were computed for a sample of 114 children (64 boys, 50 girls), aged 6 to 16 years, who were referred for psychological evaluation because of academic or learning difficulties. The Full Scale IQ, Verbal Scale IQ, and Freedom from Distractibility IQ correlated moderately with the three achievement area standard scores (rs of .48 to .59). However, the Performance Scale IQ correlated minimally with reading and spelling scores (rs of .26 and .27), but moderately with arithmetic scores (r = .40). The results support the concurrent validity of the WISC-R.     

The utility of the Stanford-Binet in predicting WRAT performance

This study investigated the predictive validity of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, using the Wide Range Achievement Test as criterion. Ninety-nine urban children referred for psychological evaluations were administered both instruments by trained examiners, and regression analyses were conducted where the S-B IQ scores were separately regressed on Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores from the WRAT. The results indicate that the S-B IQ significantly predicts WRAT standard scores. Derived regression equations are reported.     

The Slosson as a predictor of Wide Range Achievement Test performance

This study investigated the efficacy of predicting academic achievement as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test, using the Slosson Intelligence Test For Children and Adults as the predictor. Ninety-five children referred for psychological evaluations in a five-county area in southeastern Nebraska were given both instruments, and a regression analysis was conducted where the Slosson IQ scores were separately regressed on Reading, Spelling and Arithmetic standard scores from the Wide Range Achievement Test. The results indicated that the Slosson IQ significantly predicts Wide Range standard scores. Derived regression equations are reported.     

WISC-R factor scores as predictors of wrat performance: A multivariate analysis

The capability of the WISC-R Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO), and Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor scores to predict academic achievement as measured by the WRAT was investigated. Subjects consisted of children referred for psychological evaluation in a public school setting, typically because of learning problems within the classroom. The results of a multivariate multiple regression analysis revealed that the FD and VC factors significantly predict WRAT Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic standard scores, with the FD factor accounting for a major portion of the variance in WRAT achievement based upon observed VC and FD factor scores.     

Early word decoding ability as a longitudinal predictor of academic performance

This study, using a longitudinal design with a Swedish cohort of young readers, investigates if children’s early word decoding ability in second grade can predict later academic performance. In an effort to estimate the unique effect of early word decoding (grade 2) with academic performance (grade 9), gender and non-verbal cognitive ability were controlled for in hierarchical regression models. Results show that even after accounting for these factors, word decoding successfully predicted subject marks as well as attendance in advanced courses and language classes. The authors conclude that children’s early ability to decode words could be an important factor for predicting performance in school and, thus, stress the importance for schools to investigate children’s early word decoding ability.     

The reliability of the WISC-R performance scale with deaf children

Though the Wechsler tests are widely used to assess the intellectual ability of hearing impaired children, data on the reliability of the WISC-R with this population have been lacking. The Performance Scale of the WISC-R was administered to 59 prelingually deaf children attending a state-supported day school program. The reliability coefficients and standard errors of measurement were computed for each subtest and for the Performance Scale IQ. The results compare favorably with those found by Wechsler with the standardization sample.     

The graduate record examination as a predictor of graduate student performance: The case of criminal justice

Research on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a predictor of graduate student performance has been marked by much debate. Thornell and McCoy (1985) have found that the relationship between student performance and the GRE may be sensitive to the discipline being studied. While unexplained to date, this disciplinary variation may be related to the differences in means and/or relative dispersions of GRE scores among disciplines. Further, there has been only one study (McKee, Mallory, and Campbell, in press) for criminal justice, the field with the lowest mean GRE score. This paper focuses on this neglected field. Data were collected from the files of 70 criminal justice majors in a master's program at a large midwestern urban university. The results indicate that GRE scores are largely unrelated to indicators of graduate student performance (GPA, grades in specific classes, and the completion of the M.A. degree). The one exception is a strong relationship between verbal GRE and graduate GPA. This relationship may indicate a nonlinear ceiling effect wherein verbal GRE scores affect GGPA, mainly in disciplines with means at the low end of the verbal GRE score distribution.     

Histological knowledge as a predictor of medical students' performance in diagnostic pathology

Over the years, the role and extent of the basic sciences in medical curricula have been challenged by research on clinical expertise, clinical teachers, and medical students, as well as by the development and diversification of the medical curricula themselves. The aim of this study was to examine how prior knowledge of basic histology and histopathology among students predicts early learning of diagnostic pathology. Participants (N=118, representing 91% of the full student cohort) were medical students at the University of Turku, Finland. Data were collected during two preclinical courses that students attended in their first and second years of medical school. The measurements included tests on biomedical and clinical knowledge and a performance test in diagnostic pathology. Second‐year performance on the diagnostic pathology examinations was predicted by the students' prior knowledge of histology, but not by the students' prior knowledge of histopathology. Although earlier research has demonstrated similar results in studies with shorter longitudinal designs, the present study demonstrates that the effect remains even if there is a considerably long time delay (a year) between the measurements, thus confirming the long‐term value of basic science studies in the preclinical phase. Anat Sci Educ 6: 361–367. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Investigations into the relationships of the WRAT,the PIAT,the SORT,and the WISC-R in low-functioning referrals

Research involving standardized reading achievement tests has been widespread, but there has been little investigation into the relationships among the more widely used tests of reading achievement. In the present study, the Reading subtest of the WRAT, the Reading Comprehension subtest of the PIAT, and the SORT were compared with each other and with the WISC-R. Results showed a high correlation between the WRAT and the PIAT, a moderately high correlation between the SORT and the PIAT, and a very low correlation between the SORT and the WRAT. The WRAT and the PIAT had higher correlations with the various components of the WISC-R than did the SORT. These findings imply that the WRAT and the PIAT measure essentially the same dimension of reading achievement, possibly verbal fluency, but that the SORT is measuring a different dimension, one that is also tapped to some extent by the PIAT.     

The comparison of performance by sex of deaf children on the WISC-R

The Performance Scale of the WISC-R was administered to 60 female and 65 male hearing-impaired subjects. The only significant sex difference found was on the Coding subtest, with females outperforming males by a mean scaled score difference of 1.77 points (t = −3.087, p<.01). Subtest intercorrelational results suggest that deaf females possessed significantly better visual-motor coordination and speed, while males demonstrated better spatial analysis and synthesis skills. A principal factor analysis procedure yielded only one factor for each sex. The high degree of factorial similarity between the female and male samples indicated that the underlying construct being measured by the WISC-R Performance subtests does not differ by gender.     

WISC-R performance of children referred to a university center for learning disabilities

This study compared the WISC-R performance of 40 children ranging in age from 6–6 to 15–10, referred to a university center for suspected learning disabilities, with that of two clinically defined groups of learning disabled children. The university center children were found to have WISC-R profiles similar to those of the learning disabled children, with higher overall levels of performance. It was speculated that these children avoid classification as learning disabled by virtue of possessing higher cognitive abilities than those children who are classified. Implications were raised concerning the role of university centers with children experiencing learning difficulties and the accuracy of parental perceptions of learning disabilities.     

Performance in a prematriculation gross anatomy course as a predictor of performance in medical school

The University of California at Davis School of Medicine offers a prematriculation program to nontraditional students. As part of the program, students take a 7‐day course on the gross anatomy of the upper limb that concludes with a written examination and a practical examination based on prosections. Here, the performance of students who took the course from 2002 to 2004 (n = 48) is compared with their performance in the medical gross anatomy course as well as their performance on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Both rank in the prematriculation program's anatomy course and the score on the examination were correlated (significant at the 0.01 level) with performance on the medical gross anatomy midterm and final examinations, the overall final grade, and class rank. Performance in the prematriculation anatomy course was also correlated with the score on Step 1 of the USMLE (rank significant at the 0.02 level; examination score, significant at the 0.05 level). Students who took the prematriculation course who eventually withdrew, were dismissed for academic reasons, or who failed the first attempt at the Step 1 of the licensing exam (n = 5) had a significantly lower score (77.6 ± 11.1; P < 0.05) on the prematriculation examination than did successful prematriculation students (86.2 ± 7.9). Thus, a gross anatomy examination following a short prematriculation course can be a predictor not only of medical student performance in anatomy, but also of performance on a standardized licensing examination. Anat Sci Ed 1:224–227, 2008. © 2008 American Association of Anatomists.     

WISC,WISC-R,S-B L&M,WRAT: Relationships and trends among children ages six to ten referred for psychological evaluation

Thirty children ages 6-10 were selected who had been referred for psychological evaluation from the public schools. WISC-R was significantly lower than WISC FS IQs and similar to S-B L&M IQs (1972). Each scale predicts reading, spelling, and achievement in a significant manner. The use of the WISC-R over the WISC will rosult in greater numbers of children being classified as retarded.     

The importance of motivation as a predictor of school achievement

The present study examined to which extent different motivational concepts contribute to the prediction of school achievement among adolescent students independently from intelligence. A sample of 342 11th and 12th graders (age M = 16.94; SD = .71) was investigated. Students gave self-reports on domain-specific values, ability self-perceptions, goals, and achievement motives. Hierarchical regression and relative weights analyses were performed with grades in math and German as dependent variables and intelligence as well as motivational measures as independent variables. Beyond intelligence, different motivational constructs incrementally contributed to the prediction of school achievement. Domain-specific ability self-perceptions and values showed the highest increments whereas achievement motives and goal orientations explained less additional variance. Even when prior achievement was controlled, some motivational concepts still proved to contribute to the prediction of subsequent performance. In the light of these findings, we discuss the importance of motivation in educational contexts.     

An investigation of WISC-R verbal-performance differences as a function of ethnic status

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was administered to 187 black, 184 Hispanic, and 184 white children aged 6–11. The Verbal-Performance (V-P) IQ discrepancies were determined for the total group and for each ethnic group. The overall mean of 10.74 was similar to the V-P discrepancy found in the WISC-R standardization sample. The Hispanic group had a significantly greater V-P split than did the black group or the white group. Implications of these results were discussed, focusing on the various cautions of using V-P discrepancies for diagnostic decision making.     

The role of the A* grade at A level as a predictor of university performance in the United Kingdom

In summer 2010, the A* grade at A level was awarded for the first time. This grade was introduced to help higher education institutions to differentiate between the highest achieving candidates and to promote and reward greater stretch and challenge. Exploring data from the Higher Education Statistics Service and making use of multilevel regression models, this research investigated for the first time the relationship between achieved A* grades and performance at the end of three-year courses in higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. The results of this work showed that, when prior schooling and other background characteristics were accounted for, the number of A* grades was a good predictor of achieving either a first or at least an upper second class degree. Specific subject-level analyses revealed that the number of top grades in some A level subjects was associated with good degree outcomes in specific degree subject areas.     

The kindergarten auditory screening test as a predictor of reading disability

Correlation coefficients were obtained between the Kindergarten Auditory Screening Test (KAST), the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), and the Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests, Primary Form (GMRT). The KAST and MRT were given to kindergartners near the end of the spring semester and the GMRT to these same children in first grade during February of the following year. Neither the coefficients obtained nor an examination of extreme groups indicated that the KAST was an effective predictor of reading disability.