Patterns, Determinants, and Consequences of Ability Tracking: Evidence from Texas Public Schools

63 Pages Posted: 19 Sep 2022

See all articles by Kate Antonovics

Kate Antonovics

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

Sandra E. Black

Columbia University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics; NHH Norwegian School of Economics - Department of Economics

Julie Berry Cullen

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Akiva Yonah Meiselman

Research Improving People's Lives

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 2022

Abstract

Schools often track students to classes based on ability. Proponents of tracking argue it is a low-cost tool to improve learning since instruction is more effective when students are more homogeneous, while opponents argue it exacerbates initial differences in opportunities without strong evidence of efficacy. In fact, little is known about the pervasiveness or determinants of ability tracking in the US. To fill this gap, we use detailed administrative data from Texas to estimate the extent of tracking within schools for grades 4 through 8 over the years 2011-2019. We find substantial tracking; tracking within schools overwhelms any sorting by ability that takes place across schools. The most important determinant of tracking is heterogeneity in student ability, and schools operationalize tracking through the classification of students into categories such as gifted and disabled and curricular differentiation. When we examine how tracking changes in response to educational policies, we see that schools decrease tracking in response to accountability pressures. Finally, when we explore how exposure to tracking correlates with student mobility in the achievement distribution, we find positive effects on high-achieving students with no negative effects on low-achieving students, suggesting that tracking may increase inequality by raising the ceiling.

Keywords: ability tracking, achievement mobility

JEL Classification: H750, I210, I240, I280

Suggested Citation

Antonovics, Kate and Black, Sandra E. and Berry Cullen, Julianne (Julie) and Meiselman, Akiva Yonah, Patterns, Determinants, and Consequences of Ability Tracking: Evidence from Texas Public Schools (2022). CESifo Working Paper No. 9928, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4219432 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4219432

Kate Antonovics (Contact Author)

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) ( email )

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Sandra E. Black

Columbia University ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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NHH Norwegian School of Economics - Department of Economics

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Norway

Julianne (Julie) Berry Cullen

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Department of Economics ( email )

9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0508
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Akiva Yonah Meiselman

Research Improving People's Lives ( email )

Providence, RI 02903
United States

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