ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS, VOLUME 2 - TOTAL TESTED INMATE POPULATION

• NCJ Number: 68073
• Author(s): S K C MARTIN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Mississippi Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TEST RESULTS IN THE AREAS OF READING, WRITING, AND MATH FOR INMATES IN THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS SHOW THAT IN ALL BUT ONE ACADEMIC AREA (THE READING LEVEL OF WHITE INMATES) THE INMATE LEVEL IS BELOW STATE NORMS.

Abstract

TEST RESULTS WERE AVAILABLE FOR 540 MALE INMATES. OF THESE MEN, 69 PERCENT TESTED AT ABOVE BORDERLINE INTELLIGENCE BUT APPROXIMATELY 41 PERCENT FUNCTIONED AT THE FOURTH GRADE LEVEL OR LOWER IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE THREE TESTED AREAS, WITH WRITING THE WEAKEST AREA FOR MOST, READING NEXT. INMATES WHO FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL BEFORE 1964 TESTED HIGHER ACADEMICALLY THAN THE YOUNGER GROUP. IN FACT, PERFORMANCE PROGRESSIVELY DECREASED FROM THE OLDEST TO THE YOUNGEST. THE 353 BLACK INMATES HAD THE POOREST SCORES. THE 187 WHITE INMATES HAD BETTER SCORES BUT WERE STILL, ON THE AVERAGE, BELOW THE TEST LEVELS FOR STATEWIDE ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES. THERE SEEMS TO BE SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THAT THESE MEN COULD PERFORM AT A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVEL IF THEY WERE PROPERLY EDUCATED. STUDY RESULTS ARE PRESENTED IN BOTH TABULAR AND NARRATIVE FORM. FOR VOLUME I, SEE NCJ 68072.