Age of Starting School, Academic Performance, and the Impact of Non-Compliance: An Experiment within an Experiment, Evidence from Australia

39 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2021

See all articles by Tony Beatton

Tony Beatton

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Michael P. Kidd

University of Aberdeen - Business School

Anthony Niu

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University)

Francis Vella

Georgetown University; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

This paper estimates the difference in academic performance of the oldest and youngest students in a given grade. We employ Queensland Department of Education school administration panel data for the population of state school students for the years 2008-2016. Academic performance is measured by National standard test scores (NAPLAN) and teacher assessed measures of performance and effort for individuals in grades 3, 5 and 7. The empirical analysis employs a regression discontinuity design (RDD) based on administrative rules on age of school enrolment. The class assigning mechanism operates via a known cut-off date and results in the oldest child in the grade being almost a year older than the youngest. However, as parents may anticipate a disadvantage in their child being the youngest in grade they may choose to delay the timing of initial enrolment. This lack of compliance potentially creates difficulties for the RDD identification strategy, in particular the assumption of exchangeability around the cut-off. We exploit a change in the cut-off rule from a 2008 reform which postponed the school starting age by 6 months and produced a large increase in the compliance rate. This enables one to gauge the importance of non-compliance in estimating the treatment effect of being older versus younger in cohort. We find that the pre-reform treatment effect is small and generally statistically insignificant. Post-reform there is a sizeable and statistically significant treatment effect which diminishes as the sample proceeds through school grades, 3, 5 and 7.

JEL Classification: I29

Suggested Citation

Beatton, Tony and Kidd, Michael P. and Niu, Anthony and Vella, Francis, Age of Starting School, Academic Performance, and the Impact of Non-Compliance: An Experiment within an Experiment, Evidence from Australia. IZA Discussion Paper No. 14168, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3798921 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3798921

Tony Beatton (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

No Address Available

Michael P. Kidd

University of Aberdeen - Business School ( email )

Edward Wright Building
Dunbar Street
Old Aberdeen AB24 3QY, AB24 3QY
Scotland

Anthony Niu

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University)

Francis Vella

Georgetown University ( email )

Washington, DC 20057
United States
202-687-5573 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/fgv/

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Schaumburg-Lippe-Str. 7 / 9
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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