Girls score lower than boys on timed standardized math and science tests at the same course level, and SAT math scores underpredict women's college math performance¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2007 · checked against its sources 2026-10-18 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? On the 2005 NAEP math and science assessments, girls scored lower than boys when controlling for highest course completed at all levels except the lowest. → Halpern 2007 q2 i? SAT math scores underpredict young women's performance in college math courses. → Halpern 2007 (2)

Evidence¶

Halpern 2007¶

Halpern, D., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J., and Wentzel, K. (2007). Encouraging Girls in Math and Science (NCER 2007-2003). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/5

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Descriptive NAEP trend analysis (Figures 3 and 4) reported in the overview, citing the 2005 NAEP High School Transcript Study. The comparison names girls and boys as the two sides; no effect sizes are printed.

"on the 2005 NAEP math and science assessments, girls scored lower than boys when controlling for highest course completed at all levels, except the lowest level (see figures 3 and 4)."

Halpern 2007 (2)¶

Halpern, D., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J., and Wentzel, K. (2007). Encouraging Girls in Math and Science (NCER 2007-2003). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/5

q2 · i? · review · r2

The guide's overview cites Wainer and Steinberg (1992) for this finding, using it to argue that "it is not ability, per se, that hinders girls and women from pursuing careers in math and science." Reported as cited evidence, not reanalyzed.

"Researchers have found, for instance, that SAT math scores underpredict young women's performance in college math courses."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Systematic racial, ethnic and gender differences in grades persist among students with the same test scores, attendance, courses and teachers — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• SAT scores underpredict the academic performance of high school girls, who average lower scores than boys despite higher grades — related
• Women admitted to MIT with lower SAT math scores perform as well as men in freshman math classes — related
• Women scored about 33 SAT-M points lower than men who took the same math course and received the same grade — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The score gaps constitute evidence of sex differences in the validity of the SAT-M as a predictor of college math performance, though not of their cause — related
• Prospective regression analysis of the same data found somewhat larger sex differences in the same direction — related
• PSAT-based National Merit scholarship selection distributes awards disproportionately to boys, with girls receiving 36 percent of scholarships — related
• Prior achievement, attendance, and suspensions do not explain the gender difference in ninth-grade math grades — related