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Incentives from Curriculum Tracking: Cross-national and UK Evidence

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  • Koerselman, Kristian

    (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University)

Abstract

Curriculum tracking creates incentives before its start, and we should expect scores in tested subjects to be higher at that point. I find evidence from both UK and international data for sizable incentive effects. Incentive effects are important from a methodological perspective because they lead to downward bias in value-added estimates of the later age effect of tracking on achievement. They also invalidate placebo tests that work by regressing pre-tracking scores on tracking policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Koerselman, Kristian, 2011. "Incentives from Curriculum Tracking: Cross-national and UK Evidence," Working Paper Series 3/2011, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2011_003
    as

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    File URL: http://www.sofi.su.se/content/1/c6/03/09/74/WP11no3.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    incentives; curriculum tracking; ability streaming; high-stakes testing; student achievement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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