In this paper, we study how well SAT scores, high school GPA, and undergraduate precalculus grades relate to undergraduate calculus grades at a 4-year private nonprofit university that does not have a placement exam. In addition, we compare the success in calculus of two groups of students, both of whom require two semesters to pass calculus. The…

High school GPAs (HSGPAs) are often perceived to represent inconsistent levels of readiness for college across high schools, while test scores (e.g., ACT scores) are seen as comparable. This study tests those assumptions, examining variation across high schools of both HSGPAs and ACT scores as measures of academic readiness for college. We find…

High school GPAs (HSGPAs) are often perceived to represent inconsistent levels of readiness for college across high schools, whereas test scores (e.g., ACT scores) are seen as comparable. This study tests those assumptions, examining variation across high schools of both HSGPAs and ACT scores as measures of academic readiness for college. We found…

This meta-analytic path analysis presents evidence that first-year academic performance (FYAP), measured by first-year grade point average (FYGPA) plays the major role in determining second-year student retention and that socioeconomic status (SES), measured by parental income, plays a negligible role. Based on large sample data used in a previous…

Many academically-advanced youth take the ACT® test in 7th grade for academic talent searches and again in 11th or 12th grade for college admissions. We leveraged this sample of 460,033 students, taking an exploratory analytic approach to examine trends in academic growth from 1996 to 2016. We examined potential predictors of academic growth,…

We use statewide administrative data from Missouri to examine the role of high schools in explaining students' initial college and major placements at 4-year public universities. To facilitate our investigation of postsecondary sorting, we develop a "preparation and persistence index" (PPI) for each university-by-major cell in the…

This is a predictive validity study which aimed at examining the validity strength of College Entrance Assessment (CEA) scores, EGSLCE (Ethiopian General School Leaving Certificate Examination) and High School Average Transcript (HSAT) in predicting college students' academic success as measured by first year CGPA. For this purpose, 2015 regular…

College readiness is increasingly prioritized in federal and state policy initiatives. This study sought to examine the relationship between college readiness and several school-level factors. Specifically, quantitative data from 328 high schools were utilized to investigate the relationships among school-wide academic performance, school size,…

There is an abundance of research associated with the belief that factors such as educational expenditures, socioeconomic demographics, geographic location, district size and school funding have a relationship to student achievement. This study provides insight into the relationship between these factors and the effect it has on student academic…

We examined 482,418 students who took the ACT in the seventh grade and again in high school, taking an exploratory analytic approach to examine academic growth trends from 1996 to 2017. Predictors included sociodemographics, interests, high school (HS) characteristics, HS coursework and GPA, and extracurriculars, which explained 25% of the…

This study examines whether scores from an interim reading assessment in grade 9, the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading--Florida Standards, can be used to identify students who may score below the college readiness benchmark on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and ACT Plan in grade 10. Using scores on an…

The number of jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is growing rapidly and is expected to increase by approximately 1 million in the United States between 2012 and 2022 (Vilorio, 2014). People of many racial/ethnic minorities, however, including Hispanic people, are underrepresented among recipients of STEM degrees and among…

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest conducted this literature review to identify malleable factors that can be measured in K-12 settings and that predict students' postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) success (defined as enrolling in, persisting in, and completing a postsecondary STEM major or degree), particularly…

Research on inequality and high schools often focuses on inequality "within" and "between" high schools. Different high schools may have markedly different access to resources such as college counselors and Advanced Placement offerings, or inequality may exist within a high school due to tracking or other forms of…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to replicate and advance Kiley & Gable's (2013) work in examining the empirical relationship between SSAT scores and academic outcomes. Data is used relating to students accepted and enrolled in 9th grade at St. Andrew's School--a private elite boarding school--in the Fall of 2010 and Fall of 2011.…