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A Study of Secondary School Characteristics as Related to Test Scores

Author(s):
Mollenkopf, William G.; Melville, S. Donald
Publication Year:
1956
Report Number:
RB-56-06
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
48
Subject/Key Words:
Academic Achievement, Academic Aptitude, High Schools, Institutional Characteristics, National Surveys, Performance Factors

Abstract

A four-part aptitude test and a three-part achievement test was administered to 9,600 ninth-grade students in 100 schools and to 8,357 twelfth-grade students in 106 schools. Treating each school as a single case (by using the average score on a test as the "school's" score), the test score means were then related to the community-parent-school characteristics. Items found to be substantially related to the aptitude scores included instructional support per pupil, presence or absence of a community library, community size (urban or rural), region (South or non-South), per cent of support from the state, and per cent of fathers who are high school graduates. Items found to be substantially related to the achievement scores included size of special staff, size of average class, presence or absence of a community library, per cent of graduates entering college, per cent of fathers who are high school graduates, per cent of fathers who are professional workers, community size, and region.

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