School Turnaround in North Carolina: Are There Unintended Effects on Student Outcomes in Untested Grades?

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Reform and Student Outcomes

Abstract

This article contributes to the literature on testing and accountability by examining whether a state-level initiative to turn around low-performing schools in North Carolina had unintended effects on student outcomes in untested grades. Specifically, we examine the effects of this initiative on early literacy skills and text reading comprehension—measured using the mCLASS DIBELS and TRC assessments—as well as chronic absenteeism and grade retention. Finally, we examine whether turnaround schools were more likely to reassign teachers who were less qualified, experienced, or effective from tested to untested grades. Drawing from unique early-grade student test score data, we find that the intervention had null effects on all four K-3 student outcomes across both the 2016 and 2017 school years.

Authors

• Gary Henry, University of Delaware

• Shelby M McNeill, Vanderbilt University

• Erica Harbatkin, Michigan State University