Attending a selective exam-entry high school yields no significant academic benefits and lowers 11th-grade GPA relative to observationally similar peers elsewhere¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? After propensity adjustment, selective school attendance shows no significant benefit on ACT scores or graduation, and GPAs are .17 points lower than nonselective peers. → Allensworth 2017

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2017¶

Allensworth, E. M., Moore, P. T., Sartain, L., & de la Torre, M. (2017). The Educational Benefits of Attending Higher Performing Schools: Evidence From Chicago High Schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716672039

q2 · i? · associational · r3

IPW propensity-score analysis of Chicago Public Schools administrative records for four ninth-grade cohorts (ACT outcome n = 58,900). The unadjusted 7.40-point ACT advantage fell to .51 points, "not significantly different from zero"; GPA was .17 points lower for selective attendees.

"students who attend a selective school, on average, have 7.40 points higher 11th-grade ACT over students in other high schools; however, when we adjust for pretreatment differences among students the difference is .51 points and not significantly different from zero."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Systematic racial, ethnic and gender differences in grades persist among students with the same test scores, attendance, courses and teachers — related
• Grades are lower in classes with higher-achieving peers, consistent with teachers adjusting expectations rather than grading on a curve — related
• Attending a top-tier nonselective high school raises ACT scores, with the largest gains for students whose counterfactual is a bottom-tier school — related
• Course grades and GPA predict high school and college outcomes better than standardized test scores or coursework — related
• CPS graduates' grades are fairly consistent across high schools for students with similar test scores, challenging the myth that an A means less at lower-performing schools — related
• Students attending higher-performing Chicago high schools have lower GPAs, on average, than similar students at lower-performing schools — a broader claim this one bears on
• Top-tier nonselective schools improve college enrollment, persistence, and selectivity, while selective schools show no college advantage — related
• A very demanding course schedule lowers core-course GPA by about 0.40 points relative to an undemanding one — related
• Selective and top-tier schools improve students' nonacademic experiences, with peer classroom behavior showing the largest differences — related