Might Progress Assessments Hinder Equitable Progress? Evidence from England
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Authors
Journal Title
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
ISSN
1874-8597
Publisher
Springer
Volume
29
Issue
3
Pages
269-296
Language
English
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
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Alcott, B. (2017). Might Progress Assessments Hinder Equitable Progress? Evidence from England. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 29 (3), 269-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-017-9264-2
Abstract
Prior research has highlighted the importance of educational achievement throughout school in predicting subsequent progression to higher education in England. However, progress assessments may not only demonstrate students’ prior academic achievement but also influence their future achievement. I compare students who have received different grades on one such assessment, despite performing almost identically, to see whether grade labels influence their progress to post-compulsory education. Further, I investigate whether any impact differs according to socio-economic status. Results indicate that grade labels received in eighth grade influence students’ performance in school-leaving exams and enrollment in post-compulsory schooling. For lower socio-economic students, this impact is higher than for other students and extends to university enrollment.
Keywords
Grade labels, University access, Equity, Regression-discontinuity design
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-017-9264-2
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/265825