Julie Cullen (UCSD)

Abstract:

Schools often track students to classes based on academic ability. Proponents of tracking argue that it is a low-cost tool to improve learning since education is more effective when students are segregated by ability, while opponents argue that tracking exacerbates initial differences in opportunities without strong evidence of efficacy. In fact, very little is known about either the pervasiveness or the determinants of ability tracking in the United States. To fill this gap, we use detailed administrative data from Texas to estimate the extent of ability tracking within schools for grades 4 through 8 in each year from 2011 to 2019. We then explore the nature and evolution of tracking, including how tracking changes in response to educational policies such as school accountability. Finally, we explore how exposure to tracking correlates with student mobility in the achievement distribution between 3rd and 8th grade.