REGENTS REPORT
REGENTS REPORT
South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment. Great Future. NO. 54, 10/18/96
Indicators of Quality
Licensure/Certification Tests
Show Quality in South Dakota's Universities
There are several measures of quality in higher education;
among them is student performance on examinations such as those
for licensure or certification. In national professional
examinations South Dakota's public university students
consistently perform on par with or better than students
nationwide. These examinations must be passed for a student to be
fully licensed or certified to engage in the occupation or
profession. Passage rates indicate that South Dakota's
universities do very well in preparing their graduates for these
examinations which in turn helps students to be better prepared
for their careers.
NATIONAL COMPARISONS
Some of the licensure/certification tests are standardized
nationwide and South Dakota students perform well when compared.
The chart below shows the percent of students passing for South
Dakota and the nation on various tests for 1992-1996. South
Dakota students perform at or above national levels in all areas
and significantly above national norms in areas such as
respiratory care.
SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE NATION'S STUDENTS: 1992-1996 PERCENT PASSED
SOURCE: Board of Regents
The chart below shows the percent of students
passing for South Dakota and the nation on various professional
exams for 1991-95.
SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE NATION'S STUDENTS: 1991-95 PERCENT PASSED
SOURCE: Board of Regents
Because of their structure, some tests do not
have national standardization for comparison. However, South
Dakota students are performing well and passing rates have
improved in recent years.
LONGITUDINAL COMPARISON OF SOUTH DAKOTA STUDENTS PERCENT PASSED: 1991-95 AND 1992-96
*96% Passing Rate for 1989-93;
**81% Passing Rate for 1986-95 & 90% Passing Rate for
1991-95.
SOURCE: Board of Regents
CONCLUSION
South Dakota universities are committed to the task of
preparing students for academic and professional success. South
Dakota public university students' passing rates on professional
exams are one indication of this commitment.
CORRECTION: In Regents Report #53 Statistics was incorrectly listed as meeting the Board of Regents' primary core requirements for mathematics. The policy states that any course at or above the level of College Algebra shall meet the general education requirements.