Students’ Curricular Paths and GPAs: The Relationship with ACT Scores

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in ACT scores on thesubtests of math, English, reading, and science between students enrolled in differentcurricular paths, and whether the differences were affected by the student demographicvariables gender, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). Another purpose of this studywas to determine whether there was a relationship between students’ ACT compositescores and GPAs and whether the relationship was affected by the student demographicvariables of gender, race, and SES. A quantitative correlation design using archival datawith five independent variables was employed in this study. The independent variablesincluded curricular path, gender, race SES, and GPA average. The dependent variablesfor this study were the math, English, reading, and science ACT subtest scores and thecomposite ACT score. The population for this study was high school students attendingthe Sunflower Public School District. The sample was limited to high school studentswho took the ACT during the 2013-2014 or 2014-2015 school year.The results of the data analysis indicated that students who enrolled in at least onemath, English, or science AP course performed better on the ACT math, English, reading,or science subtests respectively than students who enrolled in regular courses. Thedemographics did not affect differences for math, English, and reading, but race had aneffect on the difference for science. Minority students who enrolled in at least one APscience course performed better on the ACT science subtest than did minority studentswho enrolled in the regular science courses. The third finding of the data analysisindicated that students with higher GPAs tended to have higher ACT composite scoresand students with lower GPAs tended to have lower ACT composite scores. The relationship between GPAs and ACT composite scores was stronger for female studentsthan for male students and for minority students than it was for non-minority students.Lastly, the relationship between GPAs and ACT composites scores for full pay lunchstudents was not different from the relationship between cumulative GPA and ACTcomposites scores for reduced lunch students. The results of the data analysis could beinterpreted to indicate that students who enroll in AP courses in the three content areasmay perform better on the ACT subtests than students who enrolled in regular courses.