Testing, Teacher Turnover, and the Distribution of Teachers Across Grades and Schools

Dillon Fuchsman (), Tim R. Sass () and Gema Zamarro
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Dillon Fuchsman: Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO 63108
Tim R. Sass: Department of Economics Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303

Education Finance and Policy, 2023, vol. 18, issue 4, 654-675

Abstract: Teacher turnover has adverse consequences for student achievement and imposes large financial costs for schools. Some have argued that high-stakes testing may lower teachers’ satisfaction with their jobs and could be a major contributor to teacher attrition. In this paper, we exploit changes in the tested grades and subjects in Georgia to study the effects of eliminating high-stakes testing on teacher turnover and the distribution of teachers across grades and schools. To measure the effect of testing pressures on teacher mobility choices we use a difference-in-differences approach, comparing changes in mobility over time in grades/subjects that discontinue testing vis-à-vis grades/subjects that are always tested. Our results show that eliminating testing did not have an impact on the likelihood of leaving teaching, moving between districts, changing schools within a district, or changing grades. Our findings hold for all teachers as well as for the subsample of early career teachers.

Date: 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00376
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Working Paper: Testing, Teacher Turnover and the Distribution of Teachers Across Grades and Schools (2020)
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