The study involved comparison of three proposed proficiency tests for a two-quarter introductory biology course. One of the tests was a nationally standardized examination; the other two were locally constructed. The three tests were administered as first course pretests and as posttests each quarter of the sequence. Course grades were determined independently of the proficiency test scores. The College Entrance Examination Board's College Placement Test for Biology (CEEB Biology) yielded the highest validity between pretest scores and first and second quarter grades. Posttest scores earned during both the first and second quarter on the locally constructed BergMiller Proficiency Examination (BMPE) were more highly correlated with final grade in both the first and second quarter than were posttest scores on either the CEEB Biology or the locally constructed Garoian Proficiency Examination (GPE).MANY universities administer proficiency tests to incoming freshmen in order to establish advanced standing and college credits. Enrolled students may also take proficiency tests to establish college credit. Several proficiency tests used for the introductory courses at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C) are standardized national examinations. Other courses, however, use locally constructed proficiency tests. Among the problems encountered in utilizing either nationally or locally constructed examinations is the establishment of the relative validities with respect to course grades of the alternative tests. To evaluate and answer this problem for one specific two-quarter course, Introductory Biology, GSA 201a,b (Southern Illinois University, 1971) three different proficiency examinations were compared.

Like many academic librarians, St. Norbert College collection librarians have been trying to find the right configuration of e-book acquisition strategies to meet our users' needs. Since 2017, St. Norbert's strategy had been a combination of a subscription to a large vendor package, multiple evidence-based acquisition (EBA) programs, and one-time orders of e-books purchased as a part of faculty departmental requests. In Fall 2018, St. Norbert Library started a partnership with the campus bookstore, began receiving the list of course adopted texts (CATs), and launched a new and parallel e-book strategy of purchasing unlimited access e-books for CATs. This study provides data on the reach and growth of St. Norbert Library's CATs e-books program, including the number of courses and types of courses affected by library supplied CATs e-books, and the types and publishers of library supplied CATs. As the CATs program grew so did the costs to support it and St. Norbert determined to investigate the usage of the CATs e-books compared to its concurrently licensed EBA content and evaluate the compatibility and sustainability of its CATs and EBA programs. Discussions detail why St. Norbert came to value CATs e-books over EBA e-books, how, despite the potential for symbiosis, St. Nobert's determined its EBAs to be incompatible with its CATs program, and why the St. Norbert Library decided not to continue both the EBA and the CATs programs. Conclusions discuss CATs e-book successes and how Shifting priorities 2 developing, sustaining, and continuing to evolve the CATs e-book program has been integral to St. Norbert Library's collection moving in new strategic directions.