Test scores of students in both closed and welcoming schools were negatively affected, with closed-school students showing the largest negative effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Closed-school students' test scores were lower than expected in the announcement year: roughly 1.5 months lower than expected in reading and 2 months lower than expected in math; reading recovered after one year but the math effect persisted for four years. → Molly F. Gordon 2017 q3 i? Welcoming-school students showed reading scores about 1.5 months lower than expected the first year after the merger, a short-term effect that rebounded the following year (2014-15). → Molly F. Gordon 2017 (2)

Evidence¶

Molly F. Gordon 2017¶

Molly F. Gordon, Marisa de la Torre, Jennifer R. Cowhy, Paul T. Moore, Lauren Sartain, and David Knight. (2017). School Closings in Chicago: Staff and Student Experiences and Academic Outcomes. UChicago Consortium Research Report. http://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/school-closings-chicago-staff-and-student-experiences-and-academic-outcomes

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Quantitative comparison of closed-school students' test scores to expected levels based on prior outcomes and similar-school students. Reading scores recovered after one year; the negative math effect persisted four years, through the last year of data.

"The test scores of students in closed schools were lower than expected in the year of the announcement: roughly 1.5 months lower than expected in reading and 2 months lower than expected in math."

Molly F. Gordon 2017 (2)¶

Molly F. Gordon, Marisa de la Torre, Jennifer R. Cowhy, Paul T. Moore, Lauren Sartain, and David Knight. (2017). School Closings in Chicago: Staff and Student Experiences and Academic Outcomes. UChicago Consortium Research Report. http://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/school-closings-chicago-staff-and-student-experiences-and-academic-outcomes

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Quantitative analysis of welcoming-school students' reading outcomes the year after mergers, benchmarked against prior outcomes and similar schools. The roughly 1.5-month reading deficit was short-term, rebounding in 2014-15.

"Students from welcoming schools showed lower reading test scores, about 1.5 months lower than expected, the first year after the merger. This was a short-term effect, as reading scores rebounded the following year (2014–15)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Students from closed schools scored roughly one and a half months behind in reading and two months behind in math in the spring of the announcement year — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Core GPA was not affected immediately after closures, but students from closed schools showed small negative effects in years three and four, more pronounced for students in grades 3-5 at announcement — related
• School closings reduced displaced students' reading and math achievement during the announcement year, about six months before schools actually closed — related
• The math test-score gap for students from closed schools persisted for four years post-closings, while reading scores rebounded to expected levels by the second year — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• One year after leaving closing schools, displaced students' reading and math achievement returned to expected levels, with no additional negative or positive effects — reports the opposite
• School closings showed no statistically significant long-term effects on displaced students' reading or math achievement two and three years later — reports the opposite
• Core GPA was unaffected immediately after closures, but closed-school students who were in grades 3-5 in the announcement year showed negative GPA effects three and four years post-closure — related
• School closures had no effect on absences or suspension rates for affected students — related
• Displaced students in the highest-achieving receiving schools gained about a month in reading and over two months in math above expectations, while those in the weakest schools lost achievement — related