Comparison of six examinations given in Rhetoric 101, at the University of Illinois,fall 1965

Two forms of the College Entrance Examination Board's (CEEB) English Composition Test were compared with four rhetoric final examinations in the basic English composition course at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during fall semester 1965. This comparison was made to determine if the CEEB test could be used to predict course grade as well as the departmental final examination. In addition, an analysis of the examinations was conducted to determine the stability of the tests. The results indicated that the CEEB test was much more stable and yielded better item statistics, which seemed to characterize a norm-referenced measuring instrument. The departmental examinations, on the other hand, were more highly related to course grade and seemed to more nearly characterize a criterion-referenced measuring instrument.