The ACT does not distinguish well among low-achieving students, while WorkKeys differentiates achievement levels among these students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2005 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2008: tool and model accuracy changes quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The range and median of ACT scores vary little across WorkKeys scores below 4, suggesting the ACT does not distinguish well among students at the lower end of the achievement spectrum while WorkKeys does. → Stephen M. Ponisciak 2005 q2 i? School-type comparisons show probation, vocational, and neighborhood schools scored relatively better on WorkKeys than ACT, while selective-enrollment schools performed similarly on both tests. → Stephen M. Ponisciak 2005 (2)

Evidence¶

Stephen M. Ponisciak 2005¶

Stephen M. Ponisciak. (2005). Understanding the Prairie State Achievement Exam: A descriptive report with analysis of student performance. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/understanding-prairie-state-achievement-exam-descriptive-report-analysis-student

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Box-plot analysis of 2004 CPS ACT versus WorkKeys scores in math and reading (Figure 11). The report states "the ACT does not distinguish well among students at the lower end of the achievement spectrum, while the WorkKeys does differentiate achievement levels among these students."

"However, as Figure 11 shows, the range (and median) of ACT scores does not vary much for WorkKeys scores of less than 3, 3, and 4. This suggests that the ACT does not distinguish well among students at the lower end of the achievement spectrum, while the WorkKeys does differentiate achievement levels among these students."

Stephen M. Ponisciak 2005 (2)¶

Stephen M. Ponisciak. (2005). Understanding the Prairie State Achievement Exam: A descriptive report with analysis of student performance. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/understanding-prairie-state-achievement-exam-descriptive-report-analysis-student

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Comparison of standardized PSAE and ACT reading scores by school type in 2004 (Figure 13), covering selective-enrollment, probation, vocational, and neighborhood schools. The report states "average standardized PSAE scores are higher than ACT scores for schools on probation."

"Figure 13 shows that average standardized PSAE scores are higher than ACT scores for schools on probation, which demonstrates that the ACT does not measure performance at the low end of the achievement spectrum as well as the WorkKeys."

Discussion¶

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