The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness
Using a regression discontinuity design, we examine the effects on graduation and college and career readiness of two types of school performance designations under ESSA in California: (1) color ratings based on individual performance measures that are highly visible, yet do not carry direct ramific...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-07-01
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| Series: | AERA Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251349186 |
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| author | Drew Atchison Kerstin Carlson Le Floch Umut Özek Justin Luu Steven Hurlburt Andrea Boyle |
| author_facet | Drew Atchison Kerstin Carlson Le Floch Umut Özek Justin Luu Steven Hurlburt Andrea Boyle |
| author_sort | Drew Atchison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Using a regression discontinuity design, we examine the effects on graduation and college and career readiness of two types of school performance designations under ESSA in California: (1) color ratings based on individual performance measures that are highly visible, yet do not carry direct ramifications; and (2) federally-mandated Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) designations based on multiple performance measures that are less visible, but have explicit consequences for designated schools. We find significant positive effects of a red color rating (the lowest performance designation) on the outcome on which the rating was based, yet no significant effect of a CSI designation. Descriptive evidence from a principal survey and interviews with district administrators highlight two potential mechanisms behind the differential effects: (1) the relative clarity of color ratings that rely on a single performance measure; and (2) the visibility of color ratings that may induce a sense of urgency among stakeholders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-667080f73d124a8280177056d3cdecdc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2332-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AERA Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-667080f73d124a8280177056d3cdecdc2025-08-20T03:13:44ZengSAGE PublishingAERA Open2332-85842025-07-011110.1177/23328584251349186The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career ReadinessDrew AtchisonKerstin Carlson Le FlochUmut ÖzekJustin LuuSteven HurlburtAndrea BoyleUsing a regression discontinuity design, we examine the effects on graduation and college and career readiness of two types of school performance designations under ESSA in California: (1) color ratings based on individual performance measures that are highly visible, yet do not carry direct ramifications; and (2) federally-mandated Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) designations based on multiple performance measures that are less visible, but have explicit consequences for designated schools. We find significant positive effects of a red color rating (the lowest performance designation) on the outcome on which the rating was based, yet no significant effect of a CSI designation. Descriptive evidence from a principal survey and interviews with district administrators highlight two potential mechanisms behind the differential effects: (1) the relative clarity of color ratings that rely on a single performance measure; and (2) the visibility of color ratings that may induce a sense of urgency among stakeholders.https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251349186 |
| spellingShingle | Drew Atchison Kerstin Carlson Le Floch Umut Özek Justin Luu Steven Hurlburt Andrea Boyle The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness AERA Open |
| title | The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness |
| title_full | The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness |
| title_short | The Effects of School Accountability Ratings in California Under ESSA on Student Graduation and College and Career Readiness |
| title_sort | effects of school accountability ratings in california under essa on student graduation and college and career readiness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251349186 |
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