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University of Iowa handbooks for new students, 1960-1968
Page 21
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of the entering undergraduate students at the State University of Iowa had scores lower than your score. Your scores were reported to your high school in percentile ranks different from those on your Admission Statement. Both are correct in the sense that each describes your performance accurately, but each relative to a particular reference group. If your scores had been converted to a percentile rank relative to the performance of all twelfth-grade seniors, your percentile rank would have been higher than that on your Admission Statement. However, when you are compared with a more highly selected group, namely, those seniors who plan to attend college, your performance will not appear to be as outstanding, due to the fact that only the better high school graduates, in general, go on to college. Also, in your particular case, percentile ranks are based only on the group of students entering the State University of Iowa. The scores reported to you on your Admission Statement permit you to compare your performance on the ACT tests with the performance of your fellow students who are entering the University for the first time. Keep this Handbook so that you can use it to interpret your scores properly after you receive your Admission Statement. The following explanations will assist you in understanding what these scores mean and how the scores help the University in providing you with the proper academic guidance and an optional educational environment. Why Are These Tests Given? The University requires the American College Tests for three main reasons, the first of which is to enable the more advanced student to satisfy specific requirements and therefore to be given advanced standing in certain areas. Likewise, assignment to the Honors Program is based, to a great extent, upon the ACT scores. As another example, students may be excused from the Intermediate Algebra requirement on the basis of their performance on the mathematics sub-test of the American College Tests, even though they do not meet the minimum requirements of high school mathematics credit, viz., 2½ units. Secondly, the University uses the test results to place students in special class sections according to individual needs. For example, students especially slow in reading will be recommended for special training in reading. Likewise, students who rank below a certain point on the English Composition test will be recommended for special work in the writing laboratory. Your performance on the ACT tests is the determining factor for placement in Rhetoric courses. Finally, the scores from these tests are immensely valuable to members of the faculty in their capacities as academic advisors to students. At this point you may be questioning the necessity of these tests, since you have a high school grade-point average which indicates your relative educational growth. Your high school grades probably are the best indicators of your level of academic growth and they are good indicators of your possibilities for success at the University. However, during your life you have been 21
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of the entering undergraduate students at the State University of Iowa had scores lower than your score. Your scores were reported to your high school in percentile ranks different from those on your Admission Statement. Both are correct in the sense that each describes your performance accurately, but each relative to a particular reference group. If your scores had been converted to a percentile rank relative to the performance of all twelfth-grade seniors, your percentile rank would have been higher than that on your Admission Statement. However, when you are compared with a more highly selected group, namely, those seniors who plan to attend college, your performance will not appear to be as outstanding, due to the fact that only the better high school graduates, in general, go on to college. Also, in your particular case, percentile ranks are based only on the group of students entering the State University of Iowa. The scores reported to you on your Admission Statement permit you to compare your performance on the ACT tests with the performance of your fellow students who are entering the University for the first time. Keep this Handbook so that you can use it to interpret your scores properly after you receive your Admission Statement. The following explanations will assist you in understanding what these scores mean and how the scores help the University in providing you with the proper academic guidance and an optional educational environment. Why Are These Tests Given? The University requires the American College Tests for three main reasons, the first of which is to enable the more advanced student to satisfy specific requirements and therefore to be given advanced standing in certain areas. Likewise, assignment to the Honors Program is based, to a great extent, upon the ACT scores. As another example, students may be excused from the Intermediate Algebra requirement on the basis of their performance on the mathematics sub-test of the American College Tests, even though they do not meet the minimum requirements of high school mathematics credit, viz., 2½ units. Secondly, the University uses the test results to place students in special class sections according to individual needs. For example, students especially slow in reading will be recommended for special training in reading. Likewise, students who rank below a certain point on the English Composition test will be recommended for special work in the writing laboratory. Your performance on the ACT tests is the determining factor for placement in Rhetoric courses. Finally, the scores from these tests are immensely valuable to members of the faculty in their capacities as academic advisors to students. At this point you may be questioning the necessity of these tests, since you have a high school grade-point average which indicates your relative educational growth. Your high school grades probably are the best indicators of your level of academic growth and they are good indicators of your possibilities for success at the University. However, during your life you have been 21
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