Consideration of socioemotional skills in admissions potentially can increase representation of racial and ethnic minorities and women in graduate education as well as identify candidates more likely to succeed in graduate school. Research on one such assessment, the ETS Personal Potential Index (PPI), showed that the PPI produced much smaller racial/ethnic-gender group mean score differences than undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) did. Across levels of institutional selectivity, the PPI can promote racial/ethnic and gender diversity in graduate and professional school in ways that UGPA and GRE scores do not. Predictive validity analyses showed that for doctoral STEM programs the PPI dimensions of (i) Planning and Organization and (ii) Communication Skills positively predict graduate school grade point average as well as a lower risk of academic probation, a determinant of degree progress, both alone and incrementally over UGPA and GRE scores.

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Consideration of socioemotional skills in admissions potentially can increase representation of racial and ethnic minorities and women in graduate education as well as identify candidates more likely to succeed in graduate school. Research on one such assessment, the ETS Personal Potential Index (PPI), showed that the PPI produced much smaller racial/ethnic-gender group mean score differences than undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) did. Across levels of institutional selectivity, the PPI can promote racial/ethnic and gender diversity in graduate and professional school in ways that UGPA and GRE scores do not. Predictive validity analyses showed that for doctoral STEM programs the PPI dimensions of (i) Planning and Organization and (ii) Communication Skills positively predict graduate school grade point average as well as a lower risk of academic probation, a determinant of degree progress, both alone and incrementally over UGPA and GRE scores.

There is a need to carefully evaluate the criteria used to measure cross-cultural performance. Research on criteria measurement development for cross-cultural performance is needed because the current literature lacks clear, well-defined criteria and means to measure it well. This article aims to bridge that gap in three ways. First, we highlight five critical issues that should be considered with regard to cross-cultural performance. These five critical issues include: criterion conceptualization, rater source, standardization, retrospective versus in-situ ratings, and rater usability. Along with a discussion of each issue, techniques are presented to address each issue. Second, to illustrate and improve upon these issues, we present a case study on the development of cross-cultural performance as a criterion concept and corresponding criterion assessment tools in a military context. Specifically, we demonstrate how we defined a cross-cultural performance taxonomy used to develop measurable performance-based criteria. We describe a large-scale criterion development effort conducted to systematically develop and validate two criterion measures of cross-cultural performance used in military training contexts that simulate real-world situations. Third, in an effort to guide and focus how the cross-cultural performance space is defined, we recommend various approaches to future cross-cultural performance criteria development.