Myths of official measurement: Limits to test-based education reforms with weak governance☆

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Singh, Abhijeet; Berg, Petter
• 署名单位: Stockholm School of Economics; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105246
• 发表日期: 2024
• 关键词: accountability; Cheating; test scores; INDIA

摘要

Assessment-led school reforms area central pillar of policy packages recommended to address low student achievement in developing countries. We use direct audit evidence to assess the truthfulness of official assessments in a reform that has tested over 6 million students annually since 2011 in the large Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Comparing responses to the same test questions by the same students shows a doubling of reported achievement in administrative data versus independent tests. This difference is lower, within schools, in grades with multiple test booklets and external grading. Overall, in contexts with weak governance, interventions relying on test-based accountability appear unlikely to succeed without complementary investments to assure data integrity.