ERIC Number: ED579170
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 42
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
How Much Do Test Scores Vary among School Districts? New Estimates Using Population Data, 2009-2015. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-02
Fahle, Erin M.; Reardon, Sean F.
Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis
This paper provides the first population-based evidence on how much standardized test scores vary among public school districts within each state and how segregation explains that variation. Using roughly 300 million standardized test score records in math and ELA for grades 3 through 8 from every U.S. public school district during the 2008-09 to 2014-15 school years, we estimate intraclass correlations (ICCs) as a measure of between-district variation. We characterize the variation in the ICCs across states, as well as the patterns in the ICCs over subjects, grades and cohorts. Further, we investigate the relationship between the ICCs and measures of racial and socioeconomic segregation. We find that between-district variation is greatest, on average, in states with high levels of both white-black and economic segregation.
Descriptors: Standardized Tests, Scores, Comparative Analysis, Public Schools, School Districts, Mathematics Education, Language Arts, Elementary Secondary Education, Correlation, School Segregation, Racial Segregation, Socioeconomic Status, School Statistics, Test Results, Statistical Analysis
Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis. 520 Galvez Mall, CERAS Building, 5th Floor, Stanford, CA 94305. Tel: 650-736-1258; Fax: 650-723-9931; e-mail: contactcepa@stanford.edu; Web site: http://cepa.stanford.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Spencer Foundation; William T. Grant Foundation
Authoring Institution: Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford University
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305D110018; R305B090016; 201500058; 186173