Relative age effect (RAE) refers to the phenomenon by which children born early in their year of birth perform more highly than children born later in the same cohort. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an RAE exists in the Norwegian numeracy test for 5th, 8th, and 9th graders (National sample of 175,760). The results showed that the RAE is consistent across 5th, 8th, and 9th graders for both boys and girls. Mean scores decreased systematically with month of birth for both genders, and the mean scores for boys were higher compared with girls. The most interesting result and novelty is the gender difference in RAE observed analyzing high- vs. low scorers. Boys born early in the year were overrepresented as high scorers (RAE advantage), whereas girls born late in the year were overrepresented as low scorers (RAE disadvantage). It would be beneficial for researchers, teachers and education policymakers to be aware of RAE, both in terms of the practical use and implications of test results and to help identify strategies to adjust for relative age differences in national tests.

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We examined relative age effects (RAE) in national test results in reading literacy in Norway in 2013, in Grades 5, 8, and 9 students ( n = 173,421) to estimate how month of birth is associated with mean scores and different achievement levels. The results confirm that there is an approximately linear decrease in test scores across months of birth for all grades and both genders. Consequently, students born early in the year are more likely to end up at higher achievement levels than students born later in the year. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are the greater maturity of older children and that they might be considered more gifted when compared with their younger peers. Further, we found increasing gap in test scores between girls and boys from grade 5 to 8 and 9. We suggest both maturity and motivational reasons for these differences.

Artikkelen bygger på empiri fra en studie som hadde til hensikt å undersøke hva som kjennetegner praksis(er) på skoler som over tid har oppnådd gode resul¬tater på nasjonale prøver. Studiens hensikt var å utvikle forskningsbasert kunnskap om forhold som er av betydning for å lykkes på de nasjonale prøvene og avdekke hvilken plass prøvene hadde i skolenes praksis. Data ble innhentet med bruk av kvalitative singel- og gruppeintervjuer med rektorer og lærere fra sju skoler. Det teoretiske perspektivet og funnene i studien bidrar til å kaste lys over hvordan nasjonale prøver, som inngår i skolenes praksisarkitekturer, bidrar til praksisutvikling.Nøkkelord: standardiserte prøver, nasjonale prøver, skoleutvikling, praksis, praksisarkitekturerNational tests – inhibitory management tools or local tools for practice development?AbstractThe article is based on empirical evidence from a study that intended to investi¬gate what characterizes practice(s) in schools that have achieved good results in national tests over time. The purpose of the study was to develop research-based knowledge about conditions that are important for the success in the national tests and to reveal the place that the tests had in the practice of the schools. Data was obtained using qualitative single and group interviews with principals and teachers from seven schools. The theoretical perspective and the findings in the study help to shed light on how national tests, which are part of the schools’ practice architectures, contribute to practice development.Keywords: standardized tests, national tests, school development, practice, practice architectures

Inspired by the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis et al., 2014), a theory concerning what practices consist of and are shaped by, this article seeks to examine school leadership as practice in high performance schools in Norway. Through interviews with principals at seven case schools, I examine what these principals cite as central in their leadership practices. A central goal for the study was to investigate and understand how leadership as practice was made possible through practice architectures. The result of the analysis led to three distinct categories: leadership as facilitating learning, leadership as building relationships and leadership as assessment of practice. Further, the study shows how these leadership practices are ecologically depended on each other.