Catherine M. Millett

Attacking the African American-White Achievement Gap on College Admissions Tests

For decades researchers have discussed the lower levels of educational achievement of African American compared with white students.1 This achievement gap exists even among the youngest children; African American students arrive at kindergarten considerably behind their white peers in measurable cognitive skills.2 Although the gap has narrowed somewhat over the past several decades, the average African American still scores below 75 percent of white students on standardized tests.3 Alarming racial gaps are consistently found on the SAT, which plays an important role in the quality of access to higher education and, in turn, to social and economic mobility. Between 1976 and 1988 substantial progress was made in closing the gap, and the advantage for whites was reduced by 25 percent.4 In subsequent years, however, the gap has remained steady or even increased slightly. In 1999 the African American–white SAT gap was between 0.75 and 1 full standard deviation (SD).5 A seemingly endless array of theories has been advanced to explain the consistently lower academic performance of African American students: linguistic and social incongruities between home and school culture; historic immigrant status; differing levels and types of parental involvement; contrasting forms of cultural and social capital; the generally lower socio-

A Seamless Progression: Preparing Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Students for Entry Into Baccalaureate and Masters Nursing Education

The New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) scholarship program provides grant support for minority, male, and disadvantaged students to pursue an accelerated second degree in nursing. A review of nursing school reports and student surveys concluded that students could benefit from more information at the start of their program. The Pre-Entry Immersion Program (PIP) was designed to support stu- dents with a seamless progression from their prior educational experiences into the nursing profession. Although nursing schools customized the PIP program, there was core consistency in the sessions provided. Students reported sessions on policies, procedures and preparation for nursing school were most helpful. The PIP program has the potential to contribute to the academic success of accelerated degree students, increasing the proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degrees while enhancing career progression of these students to the doctorate degree, and addressing recommendations 4 and 5 in

Diversifying the Pipeline Into Doctoral Nursing Programs: Developing the Doctoral Advancement Readiness Self-Assessment.

This article presents the development and psychometric analysis of the Doctoral Readiness Self-Assessment for Doctoral Study. This survey was developed as the first step of a Web-based, on-line mentoring platform for nurses who are considering a doctoral degree program. By identifying and anticipating the predictors and barriers of success in doctoral nursing education, including practical (finances, time, geographical restriction) and personal factors (motivation, attitudes, perceived ability to navigate the application process), students are guided through a self-reflective process to determine readiness. Factor analysis revealed that interest, readiness, and support represent 3 distinct factors that may be used for additional analysis to predict future enrollment in doctoral nursing degree programs. The internal reliability analysis revealed that removing 3 items from the 15-item scale increased Cronbachs alpha from 0.75 to 0.80, and these factors explained 51.25% of variance. The self-assessment results can inform facultys work as they mentor and guide students through the application, admission, and financial support processes for doctoral study.

Epilogue: Part1 Tests as Barriers to Access

We have many examples throughout our history of how educational assessments have played a part in expanding opportunities for individuals. But, just as we have seen educational tests and assessments being used as vehicles for expanding opportunity, we have also observed them being used as impediments to access and progress.