Description
Hosted by the Department of Economics, this research workshop is an opportunity for faculty to present early-stage research projects and collect colleagues' feedback. Contact Alper Arslan to RSVP or for more information.
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Viviana Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Economics
The University of Texas at San Antonio
"Test Items and Long-Run Outcomes"
Standardized achievement test scores are widely used in social science to track student progress, evaluate the effectiveness of policy interventions, and assess the contributions of schools and teachers to student learning. These tests are designed and validated by psychometricians to achieve varying objectives, typically the mastery of a particular curriculum. In this paper, we create alternative measures of achievement that are better aligned with the ultimate objectives of much of social science research using test scores. Specifically, we leverage the observed relationships between individual test items and various longer-run outcomes such as grade progression, high school completion, and labor market earnings to create new “item-anchored” achievement scales. Our preliminary findings suggest that these item-anchored test scales often paint a very different picture of group-level achievement differences compared to the given, psychometrically derived test scores.
Brown Bag Research Workshop with Viviana Rodriguez
Location
BB 4.02.02, Seminar Room
Category:
Campus Events
