Teaching to the rating: School accountability and the distribution of student achievement

Dynamic Participation in Interdistrict Open Enrollment

“…More specifically, the results presented in the pre- All analyses made clear that socioeconomically disadvantaged studentsas measured by free lunch eligibility-were significantly less likely to open enroll than their more affluent peers. Although such a scenario has been suggested by previous work on the topic (e.g., Carlson et al, 2011;Holme & Richards, 2009;Reback, 2008), this study is the first to provide a convincing confirmation of the relationship by using multiple years of individual-level, statewide data. In providing such confirmation, the results bring to light a number of policy-relevant issues.…”

To leave or not to leave? A regression discontinuity analysis of the impact of failing the high school exit exam

“…43 See footnote 6 and footnote 7. 44 If students were pre-screened and selected out of the testing pool by the schools or teachers (Reback, 2008), they would not be in my sample either.…”

“…Besides the consequences of failing on dropping out (Martorell, 2004, Papay et al, 2008, there might be other gaming devices that will undermine the substantive standards towards which the tests are designed: for example, incentives for schools to cheat (Jacob and Levitt, 2003), teach to the test rather than building knowledge and skills (Hoffman, Assaf and Paris, 2001;Jones, et al, 1999;Lazear, 2004), induce the selection of students with the goal of artificially raising scores (Cullen and Reback, 2006;Figlio and Getzler, 2002), or raise the passing rate focus educational resources on students close to the cutoff (Reback, 2008). Without more data and further evidence, we cannot argue whether imposing a higher standard of testing increases or decreases students' academic learning, nor can we allege that the cost of causing the marginal students to drop out outweighs the benefit of increased student achievement of the overall population.…”

Achievement at whose expense? A literature review of test-based grade retention policies in U.S. school

“…Other researchers have likewise documented the need teachers feel to teach to the test (Herman & Golan, 1993;Hillocks Jr. & Wallace, 2002). Additional negative effects cited in the literature include cheating (e.g., teachers giving hints, changing answers) (AmreinBeardsley, Berliner, & Rideau, 2010;Hoffman, Assaf, & Paris, 2001;Nichols & Berliner, 2007;Wilson, Bowers, & Hyde, 2011), emotional stress (Hargrove et al, 2000;Herman & Golan, 1993;Sheldon & Biddle, 1998;Smith, 1991;Smith & Rottenberg, 1991;Triplett & Barksdale, 2005), and the use of educational triage practices (Booher-Jennings, 2005;Neal & Schanzenbach, 2010;Reback, 2008) in which teachers focused on near passing students while providing less instructional time with the lowest performing students.…”