The Effects of Test Preparation Activities on ACT Assessment Scores.
Scholes, Roberta J.; Lain, M. Margaret (1997). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED409341
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examining64,567Students, grades11-12
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs Intervention Report - Transition to College
Review Details
Reviewed: October 2016
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ACT Composite |
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
21.30 |
21.20 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 57%
Male: 43% -
Race Black 10% White 77%
Study Details
Setting
The students in this study were high school juniors and seniors who lived in the United States. They were selected from students who had taken the ACT assessment more than once between October 1, 1994 and September 20, 1995.
Study sample
The total sample included 64,567 students, 3,071 in the intervention group and 61,496 in the comparison group. There were 36% males, 64% females, 46% high school juniors, and 52% high school seniors in the intervention group, and 43% males, 57% females, and 37% high school juniors in the comparison group. Of those in the intervention group, 74% were White, 13% were Black, and 10% had a family income of less than $18,000. Of those in the comparison group, 77% were White, 10% were Black, and 12% had a family income of less than $18,000.
Intervention Group
The intervention group participated in a test preparation course. Test preparation consisted of activities that include components such as drills with feedback, familiarization with the test, test-taking strategies, and subject matter review.
Comparison Group
The comparison group reported that they did not participate in any test preparation courses or any type of test preparation.
Support for implementation
No information was provided regarding support for implementation.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).