The merit award program produced modest achievement improvements concentrated in schools close to the award threshold¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In schools near the award threshold, math and reading scores increased more strongly than in other schools after the announcement; the closer to the cut-off, the larger the improvement. → Rivkin 2023

Evidence¶

Rivkin 2023¶

Rivkin, S.G., Sartain, L., & Schiman, J.C. (2023). Training and retaining effective school leaders: Results from efforts to improve principal effectiveness in Chicago Public Schools. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/training-retaining-effective-school-leaders

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Comparison of achievement growth (ISAT scores, grades 3–8) between schools whose principals received bonuses and schools that just missed the cut-off. Gains were concentrated near the threshold: "the closer the school was to the cut-off... the larger the improvement in student achievement." No effect size printed.

"The closer the school was to the cut-off for the principal to receive a merit award—meaning it was easier to reach the threshold for an award—the larger the improvement in student achievement, which suggests that the merit award was a motivator when the goal felt within reach."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Merit award winners were nearly three times as likely to leave their school the following year (16.9% vs 5.9%), mostly leaving the district — related
• Principals prefer school-level performance and achievement growth over teacher-level performance alone or test-score levels for incentive awards — related
• The merit award program's incentives increased student achievement in Chicago schools — related
• Percent meeting standards is an imprecise metric whose cut-score concentration produced the Era 2 misconception that Chicago taught basic skills better than high-level skills — related