The Role of High School Freshman Grades, Socioeconomic Status, and School Location on College Enrollment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jsard.v9i1.6233Keywords:
grade-point averages, GPA, college enrollment, socioeconomic status, ninth-gradeAbstract
Prior research underscores the pivotal role high school freshman grade-point averages (FGPA) play in college enrollment, with a focus predominantly on urban settings. This study broadens this perspective, employing a diverse Arkansas sample (n = 33,207), spanning rural, suburban, and urban high school students and filling a notable literature gap. Utilizing a logit analysis, we found that high school students with an A FGPA were 23% more likely to enroll in college than B FGPA peers. Those failing a course in their high school freshman year were 13% less likely to enroll in college. Among similar academic ability students, economically disadvantaged students were 15% less likely to enroll in college. Locale classifications showed no significant enrollment variations. We conclude that FGPA and socioeconomic status (SES) are stronger enrollment predictors than locale classifications, finishing with intervention recommendations for lower-SES students in exploring college options.
Downloads
References
Allensworth, E. M., & Clark, K. (2020). High school GPAs and ACT scores as predictors of college completion: Examining assumptions about consistency across high schools. Educational Researcher, 49(3), 198–211. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20902110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20902110
An, B. P. (2013). The influence of dual enrollment on academic performance and collegereadiness: Differences by socioeconomic status. Research in Higher Education, 54(4), 407–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-012-9278-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-012-9278-z
Bowers, A.J. (2019) Report card grades and educational outcomes. In Guskey, T., Brookhart, S. (Eds.) What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next, (p.32-56). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Brookhart, S. M., Guskey, T. R., Bowers, A. J., McMillan, J. H., Smith, J. K., Smith, L. F.,
Stevens, M. T., & Welsh, M. E. (2016). A century of grading research: Meaning and value in the most common educational measure. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 803–848. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44668237 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316672069
Buckmiller, T., Townsley, M., & Cooper, R. (2020). Rural high school principals and the challenge of standards-based grading. Theory and Practice in Rural Education, 10(1), 92-102. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2020.v10n1p92-102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2020.v10n1p92-102
Byun, S.-Y., Irvin, M. J., & Meece, J. L. (2015). Rural-nonrural differences in college attendance patterns. Peabody Journal of Education, 90(2), 263–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2015.1022384 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2015.1022384
Cain, E. J., & Class, S. (2023). Exploring The college enrollment of students from rural areas: Considerations for scholarly practitioners. Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, 39(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.20429/gcpa.2023.390101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20429/gcpa.2023.390101
Callaway, C. (2020). The impact of the Arkansas scholarship lottery on college choice and completion of adult students. Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3599
Cunningham, S. (2021). Causal inference: The mixtape. Yale University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300255881
Denessen, E., Hornstra, L., van den Bergh, L., & Bijlstra, G. (2022). Implicit measures of teachers' attitudes and stereotypes, and their effects on teacher practice and student outcomes: A review. Learning and Instruction, 78, 101437–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101437 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101437
Easton, J.Q., Johnson, E., & Sartain, L. (2017). The predictive power of ninth-grade GPA. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.
Feldman, J. (2019). Grading for equity: What it is, why it matters, and how it can transform schools and classrooms. Corwin.
French, M. T., Homer, J. F, Popovici, I., & Robins, P. K. (2015). What you do in high school matters: High school GPA, educational attainment, and labor market earnings as a young adult. Eastern Economic Journal, 41(3), 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1057/eej.2014.22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eej.2014.22
Gorski, P. (2013). Reaching and teaching students in poverty: Strategies for erasing the opportunity gap. New York, Teachings College Press.
Griffin, R., & Townsley, M. (2022). Including homework and employability skills in class grades: An investigation of equitable outcomes in an urban high school. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 27(1). https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol27/iss1/27/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jsard.v6i1.3460
Guskey, T. R., Townsley, M., & Buckmiller, T. (2020). The impact of standards-based learning: Tracking high school students' transition to the university. NASSP Bulletin, 104(4), 257-269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636520975862 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636520975862
Hanna, R. N., & Linden, L. L. (2012). Discrimination in grading. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 4(4), 146–168. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23358248 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.4.4.146
Kunnath, J. P. (2017). Teacher grading decisions: Influences, rationale, and practices. American Secondary Education, 45(3), 68-88. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45147907?sid=primo
Kunnath, J. P., & Suleiman, M. (2018). Examining the role of poverty in teacher grading decisions. Journal for Leadership, Equity, and Research, 4(2). Retrieved from https://journals.sfu.ca/cvj/index.php/cvj/article/view/43
Lee, J., Fernandez, F., Ro, H. K., & Suh, H. (2022). Does dual enrollment influence high school graduation, college enrollment, choice, and persistence? Research in Higher Education, 63(5), 825–848. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-021-09667-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-021-09667-3
Liu, D., Ku, H.-Y., & Morgan, T. L. (2019). The condition of poverty: a case study of low socioeconomic status on Chinese students' National College Entrance Exam and college enrollment. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 39(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1575794 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.1575794
Morgan, Y., Sinatra, R., & Eschenauer, R. (2015). A comprehensive partnership approach increasing high school graduation rates and college enrollment of urban economically disadvantaged youth. Education and Urban Society, 47(5), 596–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124514536437 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124514536437
Morris, S. R., Maranto, R., & McKenzie, S. (2023). Examining teacher support for grading equity. Journal of Research in Education, 32(2), 1-42. https://www.eeraorganization.org/_files/ugd/baaa29_4c7fd9e9c2434705bfc0078ee4148e68.pdf
National Student Clearinghouse. (2021). High school benchmarks 2021: National college progression rates. https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021_HSBenchmarksReport.pdf
Parson, L., Hunter, C. A., & Kallio, B. (2016). Exploring educational leadership in rural schools. Planning and Changing, 47(1/2), 63–81. https://eric.ed.gov/?redir=http%3a%2f%2feducation.illinoisstate.edu%2fplanning%2farticles%2fvol47.php
Roderick, M., Coca, V., & Nagaoka, J. (2011). Potholes on the road to college: High school effects in shaping urban students' participation in college application, four-year college enrollment, and college match. Sociology of Education, 84(3), 178–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040711411280 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040711411280
Roksa, J., & Kinsley, P. (2019). The role of family support in facilitating academic success of low-income students. Research in Higher Education, 60(4), 415–437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9517-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9517-z
Rowan-Kenyon, H. T. (2007). Predictors of delayed college enrollment and the impact of socioeconomic status. The Journal of Higher Education (Columbus), 78(2), 188–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2007.11780873 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2007.0012
Simmons, L. M. (2022). Rural students on college enrollment: Perceptions of influence surrounding college choice. Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4415
Tam, T., & Jiang, J. (2015). Divergent urban-rural trends in college attendance: State policy bias and structural exclusion in China. Sociology of Education, 88(2), 160–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040715574779 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040715574779
Townsley, M., & Varga, M. (2018). Getting high school students ready for college: A quantitative study of standards-based grading practices. Journal of Research in Education, 28(1), 92-112. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1168171.pdf
Wells, R. S., Chen, L., Bettencourt, G. M., & Haas, S. (2023). Reconsidering rural-nonrural college enrollment gaps: The role of socioeconomic status in geographies of opportunity. Research in Higher Education, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-023-09737-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-023-09737-8
Wladis, C., Hachey, A. C., & Conway, K. (2023). Time poverty: A hidden factor connecting online enrollment and college outcomes? The Journal of Higher Education (Columbus), 94(5), 609–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2022.2138385 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2022.2138385
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of School Administration Research and Development
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.
.png)
