Grade Level Expectations: Do They Prepare Students for Introductory College Chemistry?

The Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) established by the Louisiana Department of Education are intended to ensure that students are prepared for introductory college level chemistry. A sample of students in an introductory Chemistry class at Louisiana State University were tested to confirm that knowledge of the GLEs (chemical concept inventory pre-test and post-test score and normalized gain) correlated with performance in CHEM 1201 (average exam score and final exam score). No significant correlations were found. In-state Louisiana public school students and out-of-state/private school students were then considered separately with the assumption that Louisiana public school students were educated using the GLEs as the framework for their Chemistry education while out-of-state/private school students were not. It was determined that both groups of students performed statistically similarly in every category with the exception of their final exam score, with the out-of-state/private school students performing better.