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Who Benefits from a Smaller Honors Track?

delete2026-03-01
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PRE
AI
S
Szlendak, Zachary
M
Mansfield, Richard K. *
DOI:10.3368/jhr.0622-12391R1delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
This paper characterizes the efficiency and distributional impact of changing the share of students enrolling in honors classrooms. Using North Carolina high school data, we estimate functions capturing the test score impact of alternative honors enrollment shares by predicted performance quintile. We find that smaller honors tracks (20 percent-30 percent of students) yield moderate performance gains for top-quintile students (similar to 0.05-0.07 score standard deviations relative to trackless courses) that decline monotonically across quintiles toward zero for bottom-quintile students. However, expanding the honors share beyond 30-35 percent generates further (small) gains only for the middle quintile, while reducing top-quintile gains and causing substantial bottom-quintile losses.
Keywords:
STUDENT-ACHIEVEMENT
ABILITY TRACKING
SCHOOL
IMPACT
SECONDARY

Journal

J
Journal of Human Resources
IF:
6
Papers:
2.8K
Citations:
6.6K

Organization

University of Colorado System cover
University of Colorado System
Scholars:
6.2W
Papers: 5.5W
Citations: 1.8K
U
university of colorado boulder
Scholars:
1.9W
Papers: 1.5W
Citations: 33
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