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The Impact of Summer Learning Loss on Measures of School Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew McEachin

    (RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA 90401)

  • Allison Atteberry

    (School of Education University of Colorado, Boulder Boulder, CO 80309)

Abstract

State and federal accountability policies are predicated on the ability to estimate valid and reliable measures of school impacts on student learning. The typical spring-to-spring testing window potentially conflates the amount of learning that occurs during the school year with learning that occurs during the summer. We use a unique dataset to explore the potential for students’ summer learning to bias school-level value-added models used in accountability policies and research on school quality. The results of this paper raise important questions about the design of performance-based education policies, as well as schools’ role in the production of students’ achievement.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew McEachin & Allison Atteberry, 2017. "The Impact of Summer Learning Loss on Measures of School Performance," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 12(4), pages 468-491, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:edfpol:v:12:y:2017:i:4:p:468-491
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    Cited by:

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    2. Thompson, Paul N., 2021. "Is four less than five? Effects of four-day school weeks on student achievement in Oregon," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. Daniel McNeish & Denis Dumas, 2021. "A seasonal dynamic measurement model for summer learning loss," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 184(2), pages 616-642, April.
    4. Alban Conto, Carolina & Akseer, Spogmai & Dreesen, Thomas & Kamei, Akito & Mizunoya, Suguru & Rigole, Annika, 2021. "Potential effects of COVID-19 school closures on foundational skills and Country responses for mitigating learning loss," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

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