Test Preparation and Students’ Performance: The Case of the Colombian High School Exit Exam

Standardized test scores play a central role in determining college admission decisions in both developed and emerging countries. For that reason, many courses are offered by schools and other educational institutions to prepare students for the exams. However, it is still unclear whether additional preparation has a positive and significant effect. The objective of this paper is to use the results of the Colombian high-school exit examination to gain a better understanding of the relationship between preparation and test results. Our results show that, on average, preparatory activities are associated with an increase of approximately 0.06 standard deviations in scores.

Self-regulated learning in English-language learners who are persisting despite failure on a high school exit exam

Purpose This study aims to explore whether English-language learners (ELLs) who have struggled to pass a high school exit exam (HSEE) self-report that they are able to self-regulate their learning. It is of interest to find out whether, in addition to limited English proficiency, these students are struggling to exert control over their learning. Design/methodology/approach Using semi-structured interviews, the study sought the perspectives of eight ELLs who had repeatedly failed their state-mandated HSEE. Interviews were transcribed using a modified grounded theory approach, and thought units were coded with a focus on the following elements of SRL: self-understanding, goal directedness, flexibility and strategy use. Findings Results indicated that all interviewees demonstrated a greater, more specific awareness of their academic weaknesses than their strengths. Half the interviewees demonstrated an awareness of how they learned. Similarly, half of them verbalized that they approached learning flexibly. None of the interviewees reported using evidence-based strategies. However, all interviewees were goal-oriented. Research limitations/implications This research approach may limit the external validity of the results. The richness of the data may also be limited because interviews were conducted in English. Practical implications The findings from this study have implications for educating ELLs in an era of standards-based education and helping them pass HSEEs. Social implications These results also have implications for advancing social justice through informed educational policy. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature by extending the theory of SRL, which is associated with academic success in diverse students, to ELLs, a rapidly growing demographic in US public schools that is struggling to achieve academic success.

Troubling the master narrative of “grit”: Counterstories of Black and Latinx Students with dis/abilities during an era of “high-stakes” testing

In this study we trouble the notion of “grit” and “high-stakes” testing by focusing on the experiences and perspectives of Black and Latinx students labeled with dis/abilities with the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Through interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations with 15 Black and Latinx students labeled with dis/abilities, we utilize the power of student voice and counterstories to problematize the master narrative of a “grit”/no “grit” binary in education policy discourse. This binary has contributed to an educational culture that reinforces victim blaming, reifies inequities for Black and Latinx students with dis/abilities, and undermines students’ emotional wellbeing. Harnessing the power of the students’ experiences and perspectives, we conclude with recommendations for policy and practice.

Fighting Corruption in Education: What Works and Who Benefits?

We investigate the distributional consequences of a corruption-fighting initiative in Romania targeting the endemic fraud in a high-stakes high school exit exam, which introduced CCTV monitoring of the exam and credible punishment threats for teachers and students. We find that the campaign was effective in reducing corruption and, in particular, that monitoring increased the effectiveness of the punishment threats. Estimating the heterogeneous impact for students of different poverty status we show that curbing corruption led to a worrisome score gap increase between poor and nonpoor students. Consequently, the poor students have reduced chances to enter an elite university. (JEL I21, I24, I28, I32)

Is Educational Policy Alleviating or Perpetuating the Racialization of Disabilities? An Examination of “Big-P” and “Little-p” Policies

To understand the challenges associated with the enactment of educational policies that aim to improve equity and opportunity for students of color with disabilities, this article focuses on two separately conducted ethnographic studies. The first investigates district administrators’ approaches to addressing racial disproportionality after the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the second focuses on the emic perspectives of students of color with disabilities given the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) under the auspices of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Using a critical policy studies perspective, the authors examine how policy enactment within varying local contexts is influenced by harsh material realities and a dense policy environment, which exacerbate existing inequalities for students of color with disabilities. Collectively, these factors provide ripe terrain for understanding how policies, at the macro and micro levels, struggle to produce equitable outcomes and instead contribute to the educational inequities experienced by students of color with disabilities. The article ends with recommendations for policymakers on how to address existing procedural practices and compliance measures that are inadequately addressing and contributing to the persistence of racialized outcomes for students of color with disabilities.