High School Test Predicts Success

HARTFORD (AP) — A study based on tracking more than 32,000 Connecticut high school students shows that the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is very good at predicting academic success in college.

The study, which was to be presented on January 11 to a joint session of the state Board of Education and state Board of Governors of Higher Education, compared how well the students scored on CAPTs in 1998 to how many applied to, enrolled in and did well in college.

The study found that the higher the CAPT score, the more students were likely to go to college, avoid remedial courses in college, get higher grade point averages in college and graduate.

Commissioner of Education Betty J. Sternberg said the study proves the worth of the testing.

“Clearly, CAPT offers information about students that is very useful to higher ed. This leaves no doubt to its value,”Ms Sternberg told The Connecticut Post on January 11.

Researcher Stephen Coelen said when matched against SATs, the College Board exam students take to predict college success, the CAPT scores were more consistent in predicting academic success.

“I think that the findings are a strong recommendation that the CAPT is testing something significant,” Mr Coelen said.

Commissioner of Higher Education Valerie Lewis said the study found that ten percent of the students who score very high on CAPT never go to college. That means some talent is going untapped and underdeveloped, she said.