Investigating Validity Evidence for the ETS ® Proficiency Profile

Abstract

The ETS ® Proficiency Profile ( EPP ), a college‐level assessment, has been widely used to evaluate general education student learning outcomes ( SLOs ) in college. The purpose of this study was to investigate validity evidence for the EPP by evaluating the relationship with outcomes such as student retention, cumulative grade point average ( GPA ), and degree attainment, and by investigating differential validity across subgroups and cross‐sectional learning gains. Three main conclusions were drawn from this study: (a) Students made significant learning gains from freshman to senior year using EPP scores; (b) freshman scores showed modest relationships with cumulative GPA at various points in college and senior scores showed strong relations with final‐year cumulative GPA ; and (c) differential validity was found across gender, race, and college major when looking at the relationship between EPP scores and first‐year and sophomore GPA . Implications of these results are discussed. Report Number: ETS RR‐17–01