The Effect of High-Stakes Testing on Teacher Quality: Evidence from California

• In Event: Can Accountability Lead to Improved Teacher Quality?

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of the NCLB-induced increase in testing stakes on the quality of self-contained classroom teachers in California using a difference-in-differences (DD) identification strategy that compares teachers in tested second-grade classrooms to those in non-tested first-grade classrooms. I find that the probability that second-grade teachers hold a graduate degree significantly decreases in the year immediately preceding NCLB and in each subsequent year. A small decrease in average years of experience is found in the year immediately preceding NCLB and the first year of NCLB, but no effect is found on teacher certification. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Author

• Seth Gershenson, American University