Mixed Signals? Mandatory College and Career Exams and Economically (Dis)Advantaged Students' College Attendance

• In Event: State Policy and Educational Equity

Abstract

Since 2015, Wisconsin has mandated ACT and WorkKeys, a career readiness assessment. With a
series of quasi-experimental analyses, we evaluate this policy. An interrupted time series analysis indicates the policy has induced college attendance, though more so among more economically advantaged students than economically disadvantaged students. Next, a regression discontinuity design shows little evidence that being deemed career-ready by one’s WorkKeys scores affects one’s college attendance probability, casting doubt that the policy’s WorkKeys component played a role in its impacts on college attendance. The results lend qualified support to Bayesian learning theory by suggesting students update their college attendance behavior based on new information about their college readiness but not based on information about the immediate returns to forgoing college.

Authors

• Christian Michael Smith, University of California - Merced

• Noah Hirschl