@6teenSearch, because an A usually means that the students completed all requirements of a course in satisfactory manner. It’s often hard to do even if the course material is easy. Earning A consistently means that the student worked at least reasonably hard consistently, has grit and good academic attitude, and probably has built a good work habit.
Maybe not always. But with reasonable accuracy.
High school academics, at least not at honors & AP level, is designed so average students can do well if work hard and well supported. So such student has a good potential to do well and possibly blossom at a resource rich boarding school.
Of course gpa at more challenging school and/or with more challenging courses also shows higher academic achievement than one at an average middle school. That’s why I appended with “if not of academic achievement.” But it does not necessarily show more grit and better attitude. A student may simply be academically more talented up to that level.
Nor does SSAT. Mine was naturally good with SAT’s Reading and Writing sections from early age, only by loving to read books for enjoyment, AND even while she almost couldn’t write at all.
Therefore, I believe that high SSAT score of Reading section, by itself, does not predict academic success even in English course. A from a previous English course, even at a very easy school, might predict better for a B- or higher grade at a BS, if not A.
P.S. after asking several questions to our freshman tour guide at Exeter about his English course, I concluded that 9th grade English course at Exeter is as or even more challenging than my dd’s English Composition 1A course at our local community college. For one thing, only her final essay was 10 pages minimum and the rest were 4~6 pages, while his middle of season essay was already 10 pages minimum.