Predicting Success in College Mathematics from High School Mathematics Preparation

The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict the college mathematics courses a freshman could expect to pass by considering their high school mathematics preparation. The high school information that was used consisted of the student\u27s sex, the student\u27s grade point average in mathematics, the highest level of high school mathematics courses taken, and the number of mathematics courses taken in high school. The high school sample was drawn from graduated Seniors in the State of Utah for 1979. The college sample was drawn from the fall semester 1980 at Utah State University, Weber State College, University of Utah, Westminster College, and Brigham Young University. The model was developed using ACT Scores as the dependent variable with the high school data in one equation and the college data in another equation and then predicting from high school to college using the ACT Scores as the bridge. The results showed that those students that had courses in the higher levels of mathematics in high school, were significantly more successful! in college mathematics. The level of mathematics was more significant than the grades received in mathematics. Females who had had higher levels of mathematics in high school were as successful! as males on that level