Word: whitla
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Aptitude is more heavily weighted in public schools because the quality of instruction is slightly lower. But according to Whitla, with each revision of the PRL formula the percentages come closer to identity, "probably because the teaching in public schools is improving...
...curiosity of the formula is the omission of the College Board mathematics aptitude score, considered very important by most high school advisors. Whitla said that the score is left out because experiments have shown that including it does not increase the PRL formula's ability to predict...
Nevertheless, the omission of math aptitude is a reversal in emphasis from the testing policies around 1959, at the height of the satellite race. That year the testing office drew up a completely different PRL formula for scientists because, Whitla said, "We felt the present PRL formula might be unfair to them...
Glimp added that the use of PRL in admissions is limited by its degree of inaccuracy. But this error is smaller than that of most similar indices, according to Whitla. "Given the narrowness of the range it's pretty good, but you can see how easy it is for the prediction to be wrong." Glimp said. "PRL can't consider any sort of family problems or emotional pressures or what type of courses the guy's going to take at Harvard...
...expect a case like that every now and then," Whitla said. "After all, if PRL was right on the nose every time, there wouldn't be any sense in grading people after they got here, now would there...