Public and Private School Grading Bias Patterns in Secondary Education
This week in SPARC we will have Pedro Luis Silva from Faculdade de Economia, Universidades do Porto presenting a paper.
The paper is intitled: Public and Private School Grading Bias Patterns in Secondary Education
Abstract: Grade inflation in high schools is potentially problematic for students, education institutions, and society. We examine the extent of potential grading bias in courses taken during high school and how such differences vary across student and school characteristics. Utilizing longitudinal, administrative data for the population high school students in an entire country (Portugal) over a period of 10 years, we develop a measure of grading bias using the position of the student’s high school grade relative to their score on the national standardized admission exam. We analyze differences in this measure across four types of high schools: TEIP schools (public schools located in disadvantaged areas that include children at-risk of social exclusion), public schools (state-funded schools), private schools, and private association schools (owned by private entities but publicly funded). We find that public schools exhibit a lower probability of grade inflation. Private schools tend to have a higher probability of upward bias for students with high grades, whereas in TEIP schools that probability is higher for students with low grades.
Here the link for the Seminar which will be Thursday, 9th February, 14h30-16h00
