In an earlier edition of the DATAWave (February 6, 1995), ENMU results for the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) were reported. CAAP results were reported for each scale and subscale, by sex, and by ENMU native freshmen in comparison to transfers. A subsequent edition explored CAAP results by college and ethnicity. In both cases, attempts were made to explain the variance in students' scores. In this edition of the DATAWave, the scores on the Writing Scale will be explored vis-à-vis course performance.
In Academic Year 1993-94, 668 ENMU students participated in the CAAP. The mean score in Writing was 63.7 and the national mean for four-year public college sophomores was 63.7. An appropriate explanation of students performance for the CAAP may be their general education courses in English. Table I lists the mean score of students on the CAAP Writing Scale by the grades earned in English 102 (Basic Composition) and English 104 (Composition and Writing). Also listed is the number of students who scored above the national median. When students' grades were included in a linear regression analysis, grades in English 102 accounted for 19% of the variance in CAAP writing scores, and English 104, 15%. When both classes were included in a stepwise regression analysis, 23% of the variance was accounted for.
Table II lists the results of a bivariate correlational analysis of grades in English 102 and 104 and scores on the CAAP Writing Scale. Each item was statistically significantly associated with each other, with correlations ranging from .40 to .49.
CONCLUSION: Students who do well in English 102 and 104 do best on the CAAP. These are reasons unexplained that students without these courses perform better than those who have taken them. It is not known if additional English classes were taken by these students at another institution. Course performance does explain a significant amount of the variance in CAAP Writing Scores, and course and CAAP performance were significantly correlated. These results might indicate that those students who earn the highest grades have learned the most, and therefore, achieve the highest CAAP scores. There may be, however, other background variables which explain these results--ability, for example.
In the next issue of the DATAWave, other variables will be explored with regards to Writing Skills. These include remediation coursework, age, ethnicity, gender, grade point average, students goals, and self-ratings of their abilities.
Faculty, administrators, and staff are reminded that the New Mexico Higher Education Assessment Conference will be held on March 30 and 31 in Albuquerque. The Assessment Resource Office can support the travel of a limited number of those who would like to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Testa at extension 4313.
TABLE I
Students CAAP Performance Writing Scale by Course
| GRADE | N | x | MDN | N | x | MDN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 98 | 65.43 | 71.0% | 101 | 65.40 | 66.3% |
| B | 102 | 62.11 | 40.0% | 88 | 62.46 | 45.5% |
| C | 59 | 60.32 | 20.0% | 71 | 61.78 | 26.8% |
| D | 17 | 60.65 | 23.5% | 17 | 59.12 | 17.6% |
| F | 7 | 58.57 | 0.0% | 16 | 59.93 | 18.8% |
| No Grade | 385 | 63.49 | 51.0% | 375 | 63.27 | 51.2% |
| Total | 668 | 63.10 | 48.2% | 668 | 63.1 | 48.2% |
TABLE II
Bivariate Correlates of English 102, English 104, and CAAP Writing Scores
| ENG 102 | ENG 104 | WRITING SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG 102 | 0.49 (N=216) P=0.00 | 0.43 (N=283) P=0.00 |
|
| ENG 104 | 0.49 (N=216) P=0.00 | 0.40 (N=293) P=0.00 |
|
| WRITING SCORE | 0.44 (N=283) P=0.00 | 0.40 (N=293) P=0.00 |
