The Price of Just Failing: Consequences of High School Exit Examinations for Urban Students in Massachusetts
Author: Papay, John P.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Urban Schools,Family Income,Graduation,Academic Achievement,Mathematics Tests,Exit Examinations,Grade 8,Grade 10,Academic Failure,Academic Persistence,At Risk Students,High School Graduates,Dropouts,High Stakes Tests,Low Income Groups,Socioeconomic Status

The authors first examine the effect of failing the 10th grade mathematics examination. They then investigate students who fail their 10th grade test, examining their persistence and success on retests. Finally, they examine the effects of student performance on the 8th grade mathematics test. In all cases, the authors pay particular attention to heterogeneous effects for students by family income and urban schooling. Specifically, they address three primary research questions: (1) Does failing the high school mathematics exit examination as a 10th grader make students on the margin of passing less likely to graduate from high school?; (2) Do students who fail the 10th grade mathematics exit examination persist in retaking the examination and succeed in passing these retests?; and (3) Does failing the 8th grade mathematics examination cause students on the margin of passing to leave school before taking the 10th grade mathematics examination? To analyze the effect of failing the 10th grade examination (the authors' first research question), they focus on the 66,347 students who first took the 10th grade mathematics MCAS examination as sophomores in 2004 and for whom it was a high-stakes test. For their third research question, they use the 69,127 students who took the 8th grade mathematics examination in 2002. This sample includes students who dropped out of school before 10th grade, but excludes any students who entered Massachusetts public schools after 2002. The authors see several complementary explanations for the finding that failing the 10th grade mathematics examination reduces the likelihood of graduation for urban students from low-income families, but not for more affluent or suburban students. Importantly, they cannot distinguish whether just failing the examination causes these students to drop out or whether just passing it causes them to remain in school. Low-income urban students who pass may feel encouraged that they are doing well in school and may decide to persist to graduation. Similarly, schools or teachers may respond differently to students who pass, leading to improved graduation outcomes. On the other hand, low-income urban students who fail the examination may become discouraged or subject to institutional responses that reduce their likelihood of graduating on time. Regardless of the mechanism at play, the authors find that low-income, urban students with essentially the same proficiency on the state test have substantially different graduation outcomes simply because they are categorized as &quot;passing&quot; or &quot;failing&quot; the examination. Thus, the inevitable necessity of choosing a cut point does produce effects for this potentially vulnerable group of students. These effects represent unanticipated consequences of efforts to prepare all students to meet the demands of 21st century life. These consequences are important and need to be at the center of efforts to make standards-based reforms work for all Massachusetts students in the years ahead. That the vast majority of students who fail the 10th grade mathematics examination retake it and that low-income urban students retake the test at similar rates as their wealthier urban or suburban peers are encouraging. These findings suggest that these students are receiving the message that they should persist and retake the test. This research argues strongly for the importance of examining heterogeneous effects. In future work, the authors hope to explore more fully the effects of failing on different groups of students, including students of different races and those with limited English proficiency. It also raises the question of whether the types of differential impacts they observe in Massachusetts may also be present in other states, especially those that use relatively demanding exit examinations. Finally, they wonder why the effect for urban students varies by income. Do wealthier students attend different schools, or do they receive additional support outside of school? (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)