Cramming: Short- and Long-Run Effects. EdWorkingPaper No. 21-444
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| Title: | Cramming: Short- and Long-Run Effects. EdWorkingPaper No. 21-444 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Michael Gilraine, Jeffrey Penney, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2021. |
| Availability: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 55 |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education High Schools |
| Descriptors: | Tests, Models, Scores, Test Coaching, Test Preparation, Standardized Tests, Repetition, Testing, Academic Achievement, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Mathematics, Language Arts, Data Analysis, College Entrance Examinations, Aptitude Tests, High Schools |
| Geographic Terms: | North Carolina |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | SAT (College Admission Test), Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test |
| Abstract: | An administrative rule allowed students who failed an exam to retake it shortly after, triggering strong `teach to the test' incentives to raise these students' test scores for the retake. We develop a model that accounts for truncation and find that these students score 0.14 standard deviations higher on the retest. Using a regression discontinuity design, we estimate thirty percent of these gains persist to the following year. These results provide evidence that test-focused instruction or `cramming' raises contemporaneous performance, but a large portion of these gains fade-out. Our findings highlight that persistence should be accounted for when comparing educational interventions. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED671937 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | An administrative rule allowed students who failed an exam to retake it shortly after, triggering strong `teach to the test' incentives to raise these students' test scores for the retake. We develop a model that accounts for truncation and find that these students score 0.14 standard deviations higher on the retest. Using a regression discontinuity design, we estimate thirty percent of these gains persist to the following year. These results provide evidence that test-focused instruction or `cramming' raises contemporaneous performance, but a large portion of these gains fade-out. Our findings highlight that persistence should be accounted for when comparing educational interventions. |
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