Investigating the Relationships Between SAT Scores, High School GPA, Undergraduate Precalculus Grade, and Calculus Grade

ABSTRACT

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 first group takes calculus twice (failing the first attempt) and the second group takes precalculus followed by calculus.

KEYWORDS:

• College calculus
• college precalculus
• placement
• performance
• retaking calculus

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the referees and editor whose thoughtful notes made a meaningful improvement to this paper. This study (Proposal ID#: 20030002) was approved by the University of Hartford Institutional Review Board in accordance with the review guidelines established by federal regulation 45 CFR 46.11 (Federalwide Assurance – FWA #00003578). Requirement for consent was waived due to the use of archival and aggregate data.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

M. Rabideau

M. Rabideau earned both her B.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Connecticut, she also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Education in Mathematics from Rhode Island College. She works in mathematical research involving cluster algebras, continued fractions and Markoff numbers as well as mathematical education research in calculus success and mastery grading. When she is not working, she is often gardening and playing with her dog.

A. Starnes

A. Starnes earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee, which inspired a love for statistics and data analysis. He enjoys doing math outside on a chalk board.