Does the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills predict first-year college GPA after removing general intelligence (g)?

This research examined the predictive validity of the exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for college grade-point average (GPA) after removing general intelligence (g), as measured by the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT). WPT scores, first-year college GPAs, and TAKS scores were obtained from three samples: UTSA (n = 129), comprised of students from the University of Texas at San Antonio; transfer (n = 119), comprised of students who transferred to UTSA; and full (N = 248), comprised of all students. Results indicated that the average TAKS subtest score predicted first-year GPA after removing g. Supplemental analyses revealed that TAKS math, not TAKS English language arts, was the TAKS subtest that contributed to the predictive validity of the TAKS. These findings, along with others (Coyle & Pillow, 2008), suggest that achievement tests derive part of their predictive validity from factors besides g.