Testing at Length If It Is Cognitive or Non-Cognitive

Giorgio Brunello, Angela Crema () and Lorenzo Rocco
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Angela Crema: University of Padova

No 11603, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Using Italian data on standardized test scores, we show that the substantial heterogeneity in how performance changes with the position of questions can alter the rank of individuals and classes as the length of the test increases. We examine whether decomposing test scores into initial performance and performance decline allows to separate the influence of cognitive and non-cognitive skills and find that our measure of cognitive skills – the math grade before the test – not only has a dominant influence on initial performance but also affects substantially performance decline.

Keywords: cognitive and non-cognitive skills; position of questions; low stake tests; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2018-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-neu and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published - published as 'Some Unpleasant Consequences of Testing at Length' in: Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 2021, 83 (4), 1002 - 1023

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