This seventh annual Student Outcome and Achievement Report (SOAR) provides information that can be used to track high school student outcomes at the state level. The SOAR system collects information about college performance of new high school graduates including: remedial work needed in math, English, and reading; grades in first math and English courses; and cumulative grade point average. Data about students' high school experiences are drawn from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) program. This report looks at students who graduated from a Maryland high school during the 1996-97 school year and who enrolled in a Maryland college or university during the 1997-98 academic year. All public two- and four-year campuses in Maryland and 12 state-aided independent institutions are included. The report contains three sections: the first examines the differences between college performance of students who did or did not complete a college preparatory curriculum in high school; the second presents the results of a multiple regression analysis which seeks to identify factors that best predict first-year college performance; and the third examines trends in the data over the past four years. Thirty-three tables summarize the data. (CH)