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The academic performance index: Creating a more robust and less biased measure of student academic performance

This paper introduces an alternative to singular performance measures through the creation of a scaled index incorporating a variety of performance factors indicating overall student success as well as the creation of similar sub-indices for performances in the particular areas of math, English, and science. These indices have been used in two studies based on nationally representative college student data: the Sustainability and Gender in Engineering (SaGE) and the Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions (OPSCI) projects. The Academic Performance Index (API) is a scale constructed out of students' weighted high school GPA, available standardized test scores (ACT/SAT), AP test scores (if any), highest levels of various high school coursework taken, and college credit hours earned prior to enrolling in college. Importantly, the API uses any and all available data in these domains, which can be up to 42 different indicators for an individual student in the case of the SaGE project. This index shows less bias regarding race and gender, when compared with commonly-used standardized tests scores. Additionally, this item is psychometrically better at indicating variation across students' performance.