In the last issue of the DataWave, scores for the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) for the ENMU-Portales campus, and sub-categories by gender and native/transfer status were reported and discussed. In this issue, CAAP scores are reported by College and by Ethnicity.

The CAAP directs participants to select one of twenty-two majors. These majors were in turn recoded to represent the most appropriate College at ENMU. It should be observed that these are not precise observations, as the major codes provided by ACT for the CAAP do not directly match those offered by ENMU and its four Colleges. It is also important to note that the sample size for the four colleges is not the same. For AY 1994-95 the distribution of participants was: COB 131, COET 188, COFA 51, CLAS 289, undeclared 2, and missing 3.

For the Writing Skills Scale and its two subscales, the highest average was achieved by the College of Fine Arts. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences achieved the highest mean scores for Reading Skills and its subscales, Science Reasoning, and Critical Thinking. The College of Business students achieved the highest scores for Mathematics Skills and its subscale.

Students who self-reported their ethnicity as White/Caucasian consistently scored higher on the CAAP than any other ethnic group (students who identified themselves as 'Other' were highest, but this category by definition precludes inclusion in analysis by ethnicity). The most alarming results were those achieved by students who identified themselves as African American/Black. This group consistently scored lower than the ENMU mean scores, sometimes as much as a standard deviation.

The meaning of the results on the CAAP for ENMU students when compared by ethnicity can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Not considered by this author is the belief, again receiving popular attention, that ethnicity and race carry with it genetic disposition linked to achievement. From a sociocultural and psychosocial development perspective, it would seem that the results indicate: a) a lack of meaning for certain ethnic minority groups in completing the CAAP, b) a cultural bias in the development of the CAAP, or c) poorer preparation for university work as a function of socioeconomic status.

These past two issues of the DataWave have presented some preliminary findings of ENMU's CAAP assessment. Future editions will analyze CAAP results against other variables, which will include CIRP data, and course sequencing information. Individuals desiring more detailed analyses of CAAP data are encouraged to contact Dr. Alec Testa at the Assessment Resource Office (extension 4313).

CAAP Mean Scores by College

	ENMU		COB		COET		COFA		CLAS
Scale Score	X	SD	X	SD	X	SD	X	SD	X	SD
WRITING SKILLS	63.1	4.8	63.2	4.7	62.1	4.8	63.8	4.7	63.6	4.9
Usage/Mechanics	16.7	2.4	16.8	2.3	16.2	2.4	16.9	2.4	16.8	2.5
Rhetoric Skills	16.6	2.5	16.6	2.5	16.1	2.6	16.9	2.5	16.9	2.5
MATHEMATICS	56.2	3.5	56.7	3.3	55.5	3.1	55.8	3.5	56.5	3.7
Algebra	14.1	1.8	14.5	1.7	13.6	1.7	14.0	2.0	14.2	1.9
READING	62.5	5.5	62.3	5.3	61.3	5.3	62.9	5.6	63.3	5.6
Arts/Literature	16.2	2.8	16.0	2.8	15.8	2.7	16.3	2.7	16.5	2.8
Social Studies/Science	16.3	2.7	16.2	2.8	15.9	2.7	16.4	2.6	16.7	2.7
CRITICAL THINKING	62.5	5.3	62.8	4.8	61.2	5.1	63.0	5.1	63.3	5.5
SCIENCE REASONING	59.9	4.4	60.3	4.0	59.1	4.4	59.8	4.3	60.4	4.5

CAAP Scores by Ethnicity - I

	Number	Writing	Usage	Rhetoric	Reading	Arts & Literature
Total Population	661	63.11	16.65	16.61	62.48	16.61
African American	35	57.77	14.20	13.85	57.40	13.83
American Indian/ Alaskan native	21	62.33	15.90	16.62	62.28	16.05
White/ Caucasian	403	64.23	17.16	17.20	63.36	16.60
Mexican American	76	61.31	16.03	15.61	60.75	15.72
Asian, Pacific Islander	9	57.44	14.00	13.55	58.44	14.78
Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other Hispanic	47	61.31	15.96	15.61	60.68	15.26
Filipino	2	63.50	17.00	16.50	64.50	16.00
Other	12	64.50	17.25	17.25	63.50	16.67
Prefer Not to Respond	56	63.18	16.55	16.53	63.57	16.43

CAAP Scores by Ethnicity - II

	Number	Social Studies/ Science	Math	Algebra	Critical Thinking	Science Reasoning
Total Population	661	16.34	56.15	14.07	62.53	59.90
African American	35	14.03	54.51	13.23	58.34	55.80
American Indian/ Alaskan native	21	16.67	55.24	13.71	61.57	59.67
White/ Caucasian	403	16.70	56.73	14.36	63.50	60.83
Mexican American	76	15.86	55.21	13.58	60.58	58.16
Asian, Pacific Islander	9	14.67	55.11	13.78	57.56	57.56
Puerto Rican, Cuban, Other Hispanic	47	15.57	55.40	13.62	59.87	57.85
Filipino	2	18.50	56.00	13.50	60.50	62.00
Other	12	16.67	56.33	14.25	65.25	60.33
Prefer Not to Respond	56	16.57	55.41	13.79	63.77	60.20

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