EFFECTS OF 'CLAST' ON BLACK STUDENTS: OPINIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TEST ADMINISTRATORS, GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, AND STUDENTS (FLORIDA)

The purpose of this study was to examine the opinions of institutional test administrators, guidance counselors, and students relative to the effects of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) on black students in Florida. The attitudes regarding the CLAST test were secured through a thirty-four-statement survey instrument which was distributed to the sixty-seven CLAST testing centers statewide. All sixty-seven institutional test administrators and an equal number of guidance counselors, or some school personnel serving in a guidance position, from these same locations were asked to participate. Two hundred ten students from Florida Atlantic University and its feeder institutions were asked to participate in this study. The feeder institutions selected to participate were: Miami-Dade Community College, Broward Community College, and Palm Beach Junior College. Participants' responses were compared and analyzed. The chi square (X^2) test of significance was used to determine if statistically significant differences in opinions existed among the three groups. Cramer's Phi Coefficient and a modified Pearson's r were used to measure the strength and direction of the differences in opinions. Based on the statistical anlaysis from the data collected, the findings indicated that the status of the respondents had a significant effect on attitudes toward the CLAST program and its fairness to the black student. Institutional test administrators were very supportive of the CLAST program, while guidance counselors were generally nonsupportive. Students tended toward neutrality. This study concluded with this recommendation for further research: a study should be initiated to examine the support programs being provided to the minority students at all educational levels.