skip to main content skip to footer

The Predictive Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test for Disabled Students SAT

Author(s):
Braun, Henry I.; Kaplan, Bruce A.; Ragosta, Marjorie
Publication Year:
1986
Report Number:
RR-86-38
Source:
ETS Research Report
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
70
Subject/Key Words:
College Board, Graduate Record Examinations Board, Disabilities, Predictive Validity, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Test Validity

Abstract

Validity data on disabled students were obtained from 145 institutions with validity data on nonhandicapped students. First year grade point averages (FYAs) were obtained for almost 1,000 disabled students who had taken special test administrations of the SAT with extra time and for more than 650 disabled students who had taken standard test administrations. The SAT performance of visually-impaired and physically handicapped people was not very different from that of the nonhandicapped students. The SAT scores of learning-disabled students were considerably lower and those of hearing-impaired students even lower. Disabled students earning the lowest high school grade point averages tended to be underpredicted—i.e., predicted to earn FYAs lower than their actual FYAs—while disabled students earning the highest high school grades tended to be overpredicted. Except for hearing-impaired students, SAT scores from special test administrations have a strong tendency to overpredict the college performance of students with disabilities. The effect is strongest for those with learning disabilities. Using both high school grades and SAT scores to predict the college performance of students from special test administrations results in good overall predictions, but only because overprediction in some areas is offset by underprediction in others. The overprediction of the strongest third of the candidates is balanced by the underprediction of the weakest third. (70pp.)

Read More