Learning from the Test: Raising Selective College Enrollment by Providing Information

Sarena Goodman
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Sarena Goodman: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2016, vol. 98, issue 4, 671-684

Abstract: Between 2000 and 2010, five U.S. states adopted mandates requiring high school juniors to take a college entrance exam. In the two earliest-adopting states, nearly half of all students were induced into testing, and 40% to 45% of them earned scores high enough to qualify for selective colleges. Selective enrollment rose by 20% following implementation of the mandates, reflecting substitution away from noncompetitive schools. I conclude that a large number of high-ability students appear to dramatically underestimate their candidacy for selective colleges. Policies aimed at reducing this information shortage are likely to increase human capital investment for a substantial number of students.

JEL-codes: D83 I23 I24 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

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