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Teacher bias or measurement error?

Thomas van Huizen, Madelon Jacobs, Matthijs Oosterveen

arXiv 8 Jan 2024 · Econometrics · 3 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:2401.04200 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

Subjective teacher evaluations play a key role in shaping students' educational trajectories. Previous studies have shown that students of low socioeconomic status (SES) receive worse subjective evaluations than their high SES peers, even when they score similarly on objective standardized tests. This is often interpreted as evidence of teacher bias. Measurement error in test scores challenges this interpretation. We discuss how both classical and non-classical measurement error in test scores generate a biased coefficient of the conditional SES gap, and consider three empirical strategies to address this bias. Using administrative data from the Netherlands, where secondary school track recommendations are pivotal teacher judgments, we find that measurement error explains 35 to 43% of the conditional SES gap in track recommendations.

Citation extraction

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appendix boundary found by appendix_command · 76% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Cito (2017) Rekenen-wiskunde 3.0 voor groep 70.84333100%
2Hyslop, D. R. and G. W. Imbens (2001) Bias from classical and other forms of measurement error0.81142100%
3Ferman, B. and L. F. Fontes (2022) Assessing knowledge or classroom behavior? Evidence of teachers’ grading bias0.73732100%
4Gillen, B., E. Snowberg, and L. Yariv (2019) Experimenting with measurement error: Techniques with applications to the Caltech Cohort Study0.73732100%
5Jacob, B. and J. Rothstein (2016) The measurement of student ability in modern assessment systems0.73732100%
6Botelho, F., R. A. Madeira, and M. A. Rangel (2015) Racial discrimination in grading: Evidence from Brazil0.64422100%
7de Ree, J., M. Oosterveen, and D. Webbink (2023) The quality of school track assignment decisions by teachers0.64422100%
8Eggen, T. and P. Sanders (1993) Psychometrie in de praktijk0.64422100%
9Warm, T. A (1989) Weighted likelihood estimation of ability in item response theory0.64422100%
10WVO (2014) Artikel 3, lid 2, Inrichtingsbesluit Wet op het voortgezet onderwijs. Datum inwerkingtreding: 01/08/20140.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 42 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1Do Test Scores Help Teachers Give Better Track Advice to Students? A Principal Stratification Analysis0.40511