Page 2 Thursday, March 14, 1985 The Capitol Times
Grad test scores fall
(CPS)--Students hoping to
become college teachers are
scoring lower on their grad
school entrance exams than
other students, a new study
shows.
"The doctoral degree pro
grams are not attracting the
best and the brightest
anymore," concludes Clifford
Adelman, who wrote the report
on the test scores for the Na
tional Institute of Education.
His study found grad school
,entrance exam scores have
declined nationwide since 1982,
particularly among liberal arts
students likely to become
teachers.
Adelman believes the decline
indicates undergraduates in
disciplines such as history and
Karen Linta's Pass It On Shop
2159 W. Harrisburg Pike
Middletown, PA 17057
Phone 944-1052
Quality used clothing for all ages.
Visit 1 / 2 price clearance rack
Abortion Services
Harrisburg
Reproductive
Health
Services
Reproductive Freedom, Individual Choice
• FIRST & MIDTRIMESTER ABORTIONS
• PREGNANCY TESTING
• GYNECOLOGICAL CARE
• PROBLEM PREGNANCY COUNSELING
• EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Capitol Times
Thursday, March 14, 1985
Vol. 19, No. 11
Published by the students of Penn State's
Capitol Campus, Middletown, PA 17057
The Capitol Times welcomes letters from readers. Letters
intended for publication must be signed by the author and
indicate his/her club or organization affiliation, if any. The
Capitol Times reserves the right to edit or reject letters at
its discretion.
Letters published do not necessarily reflect the views of
this newspaper or its staff.
Lisa Mauss
Carman Amerson...Managing Editor
Dave Doalin News Editor
Cathy Shaak
Jeffrey Keck.
Shams Asst. Business Mgr
Gulnar Manji Sales Rep
ll&ke Dudek
Bob Price
Nei, Myers Editing Consultant
Tony Perry Contributing Editor
Beverly Ha!brook—Adv. Consultant,
Plintellat dal Press and Journal.. Middletown. Teal disks processed by Jednota Printery. Mkidintown
political science are more like
ly to skip graduate school and
go directly into the job market
or professional programs such
as law.
"Students perceive that
academic life is not as attractive
as other lives," he says.
Although Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) test scores
have declined as a whole since
1962, the decline' varies widely
among disciplines, Adelman
says.
Political science majors'
scores have dropped sharply,
while those of mathematics,
economics, chemistry and
engineering majors have held
steady or risen slightly.
Most grad schools use the
GRE as an admissions test. The
100 Chestnut Street, Suite 106
Harrisburg, PA 1 7101
(717) 232-9794
Editor-in-chief
Advertising Mgr
Business Mgr
Graphic Artist
.Photographer
Advisor - Mark Guralnick
Contributing Staff
Annette Childs
iennette Dell'Alba
Maria Kent
Stacy Krnjaic
Jbseph Michalsky
Melanie Miller
Ken Stiggers
exam focuses on certain
thought patterns--such as
deductive reasoning and the use
of symbolic systems--that are
more common in some
disciplines than others.
But Adelman believes
another factor is that the
brightest political science ma
jors are not even taking the
GRE test because they're not
going on to grad school.
If true, the quality of
teaching in many academic
disciplines is in jeopardy,
Adelman says.
"If we're not putting the
quality students into the
pipeline of academia now,
we're going to face a dismal
situation in the 1990'5," he
predicts.
Adehn'an's r e port shows test
scores declined precipitously
from 1962 to 1970, only to
resume falling at a more
moderate clip around 1976. '
Changes in test questions and
scoring methods may help ex
plain the declines, Adelman
says.
But changes in demographic
variables such as age, race or
gender-which are cited fre
quently to explain the decline of
test scores in high school
students-don't influence ORE
test scores, Adelman says.
"Only in combination with
undergraduate majors do these
variables begin to offer plausi
ble hyoptheses of influence on
test score trends," he says.
Classified
Pregnant?
& need help...
Birthright volunteers
offer alternatives to
women facing problem
pregnancies:
Free Pregnancy testing
Counseling
Referrals
Maternity & Layette
Wear
545-2211 will put you in
touch with someone
who cares.
IRTHRIGHT
Academic Typing
Term Papers, theses, disserta
tions, plus manuscripts, resumes &
letters! Low rates for a guaranteed
professional job. IBM Electronic
Typewriter with variable styles:
ALSO -- help with spelling,
punctuation, grammar and format!
Calk Jeanette M. Bentzel
737-7102
IN II 1 1 11 ,
t-haa tfOZ ,
Phone: 939-3445
190 Second St. 10 Percent
Highspire, P a. 17034 Student Discount
Sewing & Craft Supplies Alterations
Notions & Materials Repairs
•
Patterns Custom Designing
Jr'
aiiis) • J&J Pizza
AND
Family Restaurant
"CALL FOR TAKE OUT"
. 944-1313
(11:00 A.M. - 1:00 A.M.)
PIZZA STROMBOLI
• SUBS DINNERS
(SALAD BAR)
FINE AMERICAN
and ITALIAN FOOD
288 East Main Street
Middletown, Pa.
(One mile East of Campus)
11111111111111MMIIMMINIIMIliell COUPON 1111011111111111111011111111111111111111111.111111111
BUY ANY LARGE PIZZA •
and Get A
FREE 32 oz. COKE,
. . Expires May 12. 1985
Y: ?,t e,