View in EDS

Assessing the Academic Mobility on Test and Non-Test Outcomes for Students from Third Grade through High School. Working Paper No. 330-1125

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Assessing the Academic Mobility on Test and Non-Test Outcomes for Students from Third Grade through High School. Working Paper No. 330-1125
Language: English
Authors: Dan Goldhaber, Stephanie Liddle, Suvekshya Gautam, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Source: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 2025.
Availability: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 76
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
High Schools
Descriptors: Outcomes of Education, Tests, Testing, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, High School Students, Longitudinal Studies, Academic Achievement, Achievement Gap, Progress Monitoring, Racial Differences, Gender Differences, Predictor Variables, Scores, Grade Point Average, Course Selection (Students), Graduation Rate, Attendance, Discipline, Mathematics Achievement, Language Arts, Learning Trajectories
Geographic Terms: Washington
Abstract: While achievement gaps have been widely studied, less attention has been given to how these gaps relate to students' patterns of "academic mobility"-- that is, how students' relative academic standing changes from early to later grades. Using rich administrative data from Washington state, we apply an academic mobility framework to examine both test-based and non-test outcomes for student subgroups defined by race/ethnicity and gender, tracking their progress from 3rd grade through high school. Our findings align with prior research: after controlling for other student characteristics, higher performance on 3rd or 8th grade assessments strongly predicts better high school outcomes, including test scores, GPAs, college-level course-taking in math and ELA, graduation rates, and lower rates of absenteeism and disciplinary incidents. We also find that early math achievement is a stronger predictor of later outcomes than early ELA performance. Although some initially low-performing students demonstrate upward mobility, 3rd grade test scores remain powerful predictors of long-term academic trajectories. Students who begin behind tend to stay behind. Though magnitudes of academic mobility vary significantly across outcomes and subgroups, Asian students, especially Asian females, were the most upwardly mobile subgroup while Black males were often, though not always, the least mobile. Gender gaps also vary in size nearly always favoring females. Our results underscore the need for earlier and more intensive interventions to change the educational trajectories of students who struggle academically.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED677235
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED677235
    Name: ERIC Full Text
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text from ERIC
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: ED677235
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Report
PubTypeId: report
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Assessing the Academic Mobility on Test and Non-Test Outcomes for Students from Third Grade through High School. Working Paper No. 330-1125
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dan+Goldhaber%22">Dan Goldhaber</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stephanie+Liddle%22">Stephanie Liddle</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Suvekshya+Gautam%22">Suvekshya Gautam</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22National+Center+for+Analysis+of+Longitudinal+Data+in+Education+Research+%28CALDER%29+at+American+Institutes+for+Research+%28AIR%29%22">National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22National+Center+for+Analysis+of+Longitudinal+Data+in+Education+Research+%28CALDER%29%22"><i>National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)</i></searchLink>. 2025.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: N
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 76
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outcomes+of+Education%22">Outcomes of Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tests%22">Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Testing%22">Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Students%22">Elementary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Middle+School+Students%22">Middle School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+School+Students%22">High School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Longitudinal+Studies%22">Longitudinal Studies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+Gap%22">Achievement Gap</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Progress+Monitoring%22">Progress Monitoring</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+Differences%22">Racial Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+Differences%22">Gender Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scores%22">Scores</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grade+Point+Average%22">Grade Point Average</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Course+Selection+%28Students%29%22">Course Selection (Students)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduation+Rate%22">Graduation Rate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attendance%22">Attendance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discipline%22">Discipline</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematics+Achievement%22">Mathematics Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Arts%22">Language Arts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Trajectories%22">Learning Trajectories</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Washington%22">Washington</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: While achievement gaps have been widely studied, less attention has been given to how these gaps relate to students' patterns of "academic mobility"-- that is, how students' relative academic standing changes from early to later grades. Using rich administrative data from Washington state, we apply an academic mobility framework to examine both test-based and non-test outcomes for student subgroups defined by race/ethnicity and gender, tracking their progress from 3rd grade through high school. Our findings align with prior research: after controlling for other student characteristics, higher performance on 3rd or 8th grade assessments strongly predicts better high school outcomes, including test scores, GPAs, college-level course-taking in math and ELA, graduation rates, and lower rates of absenteeism and disciplinary incidents. We also find that early math achievement is a stronger predictor of later outcomes than early ELA performance. Although some initially low-performing students demonstrate upward mobility, 3rd grade test scores remain powerful predictors of long-term academic trajectories. Students who begin behind tend to stay behind. Though magnitudes of academic mobility vary significantly across outcomes and subgroups, Asian students, especially Asian females, were the most upwardly mobile subgroup while Black males were often, though not always, the least mobile. Gender gaps also vary in size nearly always favoring females. Our results underscore the need for earlier and more intensive interventions to change the educational trajectories of students who struggle academically.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED677235
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED677235
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 76
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Outcomes of Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Middle School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: High School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Achievement Gap
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Progress Monitoring
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racial Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Scores
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grade Point Average
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Course Selection (Students)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Graduation Rate
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attendance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Discipline
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematics Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language Arts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning Trajectories
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Washington
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Assessing the Academic Mobility on Test and Non-Test Outcomes for Students from Third Grade through High School. Working Paper No. 330-1125
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Dan Goldhaber
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Stephanie Liddle
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Suvekshya Gautam
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 11
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)
              Type: main
ResultId 1