Do Large-Scale Student Assessments Really Capture Cognitive Skills?
This paper studies the relationship between test scores and cognitive skills using two longitudinal data sets that track student performance on a national standardized exam in grades 6, 9, and 12 and post-secondary school outcomes in Mexico. Using a large sample of twins, the analysis finds that primary school test scores are a strong predictor of secondary education outcomes and that this association is mainly driven by the relationship between test scores and cognitive skills, as opposed to family background and other general skills. Using a data set that links results in the national standardized test to later outcomes, the paper finds that secondary school test scores predict university enrollment and hourly wages. These results indicate that, despite their limitations, large-scale student assessments can capture the skills they are meant to measure and can therefore be used to monitor learning in education systems.
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021-02
|
| Subjects: | STUDENT PERFORMANCE, STUDENT ASSESSMENT, COGNITIVE SKILLS, NATIONAL STANDARDIZED EXAM, EDUCATION QUALITY, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/767821612448367170/Do-Large-Scale-Student-Assessments-Really-Capture-Cognitive-Skills https://hdl.handle.net/10986/35129 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | This paper studies the relationship
between test scores and cognitive skills using two
longitudinal data sets that track student performance on a
national standardized exam in grades 6, 9, and 12 and
post-secondary school outcomes in Mexico. Using a large
sample of twins, the analysis finds that primary school test
scores are a strong predictor of secondary education
outcomes and that this association is mainly driven by the
relationship between test scores and cognitive skills, as
opposed to family background and other general skills. Using
a data set that links results in the national standardized
test to later outcomes, the paper finds that secondary
school test scores predict university enrollment and hourly
wages. These results indicate that, despite their
limitations, large-scale student assessments can capture the
skills they are meant to measure and can therefore be used
to monitor learning in education systems. |
|---|