Work

Take Two! SAT Retaking and College Enrollment Gaps

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Only half of SAT-takers retake the exam, with even lower retake rates among low-income students and underrepresented minority (URM) students. We exploit discontinuous jumps in retake probabilities at multiples of 100, driven by left-digit bias, to estimate retaking’s causal effects. Retaking substantially improves SAT scores and increases four-year college enrollment rates, particularly for low-income and URM students. Eliminating disparities in retake rates could close up to 10 percent of the income-based gap and up to 7 percent of the race-based gap in four-year college enrollment rates of high school graduates. (JEL I21, I23, I24, J15)

Source: American Economic Journal Economic Policy

DOI: 10.1257/pol.20170503

Authors: Joshua Goodman, Oded Gurantz, Jonathan Smith

Institutions: Harvard University, University of Missouri, Georgia State University

Language: English

Topic: Higher Education Research Studies

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2888948552

FWCI: 17.05

Cites: 31

Cited by: 76

Related to: 10