Focused Interventions and Test Score Fade-Out

Michael Gilraine and Jeffrey Penney
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Michael Gilraine: Simon Fraser University
Jeffrey Penney: University of Alberta

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2025, vol. 107, issue 2, 570-579

Abstract: An administrative rule in North Carolina allowed students who failed an exam to retake it approximately two weeks later, triggering a brief yet intense test preparation period. We develop a structural model that accounts for selection and find that these students score much higher on the retest. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find substantial fade-out of the test score gains after one year but some persistence thereafter. Unlike other interventions that produce similar initial increases in performance, we do not observe benefits to long-term outcomes. Our findings highlight that persistence should be accounted for when comparing educational interventions.

Date: 2025
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