Grade point average and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills Battery as predictors of success in the pre-International Baccalaureate Program

The purpose of this two-year study was to develop a model for predicting the success of ninth grade students enrolled in the pre-International Baccalaureate Program. The program's rigorous academic curriculum was offered to students throughout the school district who met admission requirements. The predictor variables were eighth grade grade point average (GPA) and Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Total Language, Total Work-Study, and Total Mathematics subscores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills Battery (ITBS). The study involved 195 students (79 males and 116 females; 83 Blacks, 100 Whites, 5 Hispanic, and 7 of Asian descent). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between the predictors of eighth grade GPA (p\ <.001) and the ITBS battery (p\ <.001) and the criterion of ninth grade GPA. All ITBS subtest scores were significantly related with GPA at p\ <.001 with the exception of Vocabulary (p\ <.05).