ERIC Number: ED670863
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 83
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Alternative Sample Selection Corrections. EdWorkingPaper No. 19-37
Robert Garlick; Joshua Hyman
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
We use a natural experiment to evaluate sample selection correction methods' performance. In 2007, Michigan began requiring that all students take a college entrance exam, increasing the exam-taking rate from 64 to 99%. We apply different selection correction methods, using different sets of predictors, to the pre-policy exam score data. We then compare the corrected data to the complete post-policy exam score data as a benchmark. We find that performance is sensitive to the choice of predictors, but not the choice of selection correction method. Using stronger predictors such as lagged test scores yields more accurate results, but simple parametric methods and less restrictive semiparametric methods yield similar results for any set of predictors. We conclude that gains in this setting from less restrictive econometric methods are small relative to gains from richer data. This suggests that empirical researchers using selection correction methods should focus more on the predictive power of covariates than robustness across modeling choices.
Descriptors: Quasiexperimental Design, Predictor Variables, College Entrance Examinations, Scores, Statistical Analysis, High School Students, Public Schools, Benchmarking, Grade 11, Educational Policy
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 11
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: Michigan
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: ACT Assessment
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305E100008
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: N/A