Estimated Effect of Earning the More Positive Performance Label on College-Going Behavior at Different Cutoffs, for Urban, Low-Income Students Scoring near the Cut Point, by whether they Scored Above or Below the Cutoff on an Earlier Test
| Outcome | Students with Lower Scores on Prior Test | Students with Higher Scores on Prior Test | Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eighth grade | |||
| Needs improvement/warning cutoff: | |||
| Attend college | −0.006 (0.032) | 0.108*** (0.022) | h = 3 |
| 1,531 | 1,077 | ||
| Proficient/needs improvement cutoff: | |||
| Attend college | 0.061 (0.035) | −0.013 (0.042) | h = 8 |
| 1,840 | 1,150 | ||
| Advanced/proficient cutoff: | |||
| Attend college | 0.086*** (0.013) | 0.091 (0.050) | h = 4 |
| 451 | 182 | ||
Notes:
~ p < 0.10;
* p < 0.05;
↵** p < 0.01;
*** p < 0.001. Cell entries include parameter estimates, standard errors (in parentheses), and approximate p-value. All inferences from two-tailed hypothesis tests. Estimated effects from a local linear regression-discontinuity model from Equation 2 using observations within one bandwidth on either side of the cutoff, with the following control predictors: student race, gender, whether the student was new to the state, was currently or formerly classified as limited English proficient or required special education, and the fixed effect of cohort.