Students seeking to excel in first-year college chemistry, biology and physics would do well to concentrate on math in high school, according to a new study by Philip Sadler, director of the Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Robert Tai, an assistant professor at the Curry School of Education in Virginia.

Sadler and Tai surveyed 8,474 students enrolled in introductory science courses at 63 randomly selected four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The students indicated their high-school coursework—0, 1 or 2 years—in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. This data was then correlated with their actual performance in introductory college science courses. The study showed that students with the most rigorous preparation in mathematics in high school performed significantly better in introductory college biology, chemistry and physics.

The study also revealed that an emphasis in one of the high-school sciences does not translate into better performance in a different science in college. For example, a concentration on chemistry in high school does not translate into higher grades in college physics and biology. The study did indicate that high-school preparation in a specific scientific discipline—biology, chemistry or physics—boosted college performance in that same subject.

"Taking more physics in high school does not appear to improve students' subsequent performance in either chemistry or biology courses in college," Sadler says. "Our finding knocks out the Physics First movement among some educators, who argue for a reversal of the traditional biology-chemistry-physics high-school course sequence."

Sadler and Tai subjected their data to robust modeling to correct for socioeconomic factors that may favor some students, including race, parental education level and mean educational level of students' home communities, as defined by postal ZIP code.

"High-school students interested in science appear to be better prepared if they focus heavily on their math preparation, including a calculus course," Sadler says. The study was published in the journal Science.