What Do Test Scores Miss? The Importance of Teacher Effects on Non–Test Score Outcomes

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2018
Volume: 126
Issue: 5
Pages: 2072 - 2107

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Teachers affect a variety of student outcomes through their influence on both cognitive and noncognitive skill. I proxy for students’ noncognitive skill using non–test score behaviors. These behaviors include absences, suspensions, course grades, and grade repetition in ninth grade. Teacher effects on test scores and those on behaviors are weakly correlated. Teacher effects on behaviors predict larger impacts on high school completion and other longer-run outcomes than their effects on test scores. Relative to using only test score measures, using effects on both test score and noncognitive measures more than doubles the variance of predictable teacher impacts on longer-run outcomes.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/699018
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25