Gradebooks outperform GPA in predicting adolescent substance use

GPA has long been a benchmark for measuring success in students. It can also do more than indicate academic accomplishment: health studies have established a strong correlation between GPA and the risk of unhealthy behaviors in adolescents, including substance abuse. 

But a new UCLA Health study, published in the Journal of School Health, found that another measure for student progress, known as "gradebooks," predicted risk of lifetime substance even better than GPA. "Gradebooks" include quiz, test, homework, and classroom engagement and are considered a more comprehensive measure of a student's progress when compared to GPA because they are collected more frequently and capture a broader range of student academic achievement and behavior.

We found that the engagement and participation scores measured in gradebooks were more accurate signals for identifying students at risk of substance use. This is likely because substance use often reflects a student's personal and environmental influences, which are captured in classroom behavior more accurately than in GPA. If these findings hold up in future research, it can be especially valuable for reaching kids who rarely see a doctor and may not otherwise get the screening tests that identify problems early."

Dr. Benjamin Meza, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics, UCLA Health and one of the study's lead authors

"Early substance use is linked to other adverse health outcomes across a lifetime. Identifying young teens who are at risk of using drugs and alcohol is critical to early intervention and to ensuring their future well-being," said Dr. Rebecca N. Dudovitz, general pediatric division chief at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and one of the study's researchers. "In the United States, it is estimated that one third of adolescents do not get annual wellness visits, creating a critical blind spot for early substance abuse screening and intervention. Measures like gradebook data can provide insights on who is at risk – without creating additional burdens to the families, teachers, and communities that support them." 

The study pulled education data from 289 students in the Los Angeles region, following their academic progress and self-reported substance use from sixth through eighth grade. The majority of the students were from low-income communities, where many families face barriers to regular health care. 

Researchers analyzed gradebook data – including test and quiz scores, homework completion, and classroom engagement – against student GPAs to identify academic patterns among those who later reported using alcohol, cannabis, or other substances by eighth grade. In total, nearly 15% of the students in the study reported having used substances by the eighth grade.

Researchers point out that this kind of data is newly emerging and tracks information from a small pool of students. They emphasize the need to replicate this kind of study on a larger scale across different cities, school types, and community settings in order to more accurately identify at-risk students and build transparent, health-promoting systems.