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A regression discontinuity analysis of graduation standards and their impact on students’ academic trajectories

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  • Ahn, Tom

Abstract

In 2006, North Carolina put in place high school exit standards requiring students to pass a series of high-stakes exams across several years. I use a regression discontinuity (RD) approach to analyze whether passing or failing one of these exams (Algebra I) impacts a student's decision between choosing a more rigorous college-preparatory math curriculum and an easier ‘career’ track math curriculum. I find a 5 percentage point gap in the probability of selecting the rigorous curriculum between 9th grade students who just passed and those who just failed the exam. RD results across two years (one year in which the graduation standards were not in place) suggest that the discontinuity arose due to fewer students opting into the college track as a result of the exam results.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahn, Tom, 2014. "A regression discontinuity analysis of graduation standards and their impact on students’ academic trajectories," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 64-75.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:38:y:2014:i:c:p:64-75
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.11.005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tom Ahn, 2013. "The Missing Link: Estimating the Impact of Incentives on Teacher Effort and Instructional Effectiveness Using Teacher Accountability Legislation Data," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(3), pages 230-273.
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    Cited by:

    1. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    2. Tom Ahn & Jacob L. Vigdor, 2021. "When Incentives Matter Too Much: Explaining Significant Responses to Irrelevant Information," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(4), pages 629-664.
    3. Shao-Hsun Keng, 2016. "The Effect of a Stricter Academic Dismissal Policy on Course Selection, Student Effort, and Grading Leniency," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 11(2), pages 203-224, Spring.
    4. Kathryn Schaefer Ziemer & Bianica Pires & Vicki Lancaster & Sallie Keller & Mark Orr & Stephanie Shipp, 2018. "A New Lens on High School Dropout: Use of Correspondence Analysis and the Statewide Longitudinal Data System," The American Statistician, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(2), pages 191-198, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Exit standards; Academic trajectory; Regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J48 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Particular Labor Markets; Public Policy
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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