This quantitative study focused on the Algebra 1 End-Of-Course Exam Program (EOCEP) exam that students must complete if they are enrolled in beginning algebra classes. The research focused on one school, the high schools within this school's district, and South Carolina. The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a relationship between…

This report investigates the progression of students from GCSE to A level in the same (or related) subject. That is, for a range of subjects, the proportion of GCSE students who continue to study the subject at A level is calculated. To understand possible sources of variation progression rates are broken down by GCSE grade and student gender.…

The exit examination from upper-secondary school represents an essential part of the educational trajectory. However, the transition to the labour market or higher education can be complicated by failure. The qualitative study deals with repeatedly unsuccessful students who have struggled to pass the Czech exit exam called the Matura examination.…

High school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills and knowledge. Evidence suggests that a common perverse effect of exit exams is an increase in dropout for students who have difficulty passing tests, with a larger effect on minority students. To…

In the sequential explanatory mixed methods study reported on here we examined school-based factors contributing to the poor performance of Grade 12 accounting learners' the GCSE in the Lubombo and Manzini regions of Eswatini. The random sample for the quantitative phase comprised 400 accounting learners and 80 accounting teachers from 10 schools…

Evidence suggests that adapting teaching responsively to pupil assessment can be effective in improving students' learning. However, existing studies tend to be small-scale, leaving unanswered the question of how such formative assessment can operate when embedded as standard practice. In this study, we present the results of a randomized trial…

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) has been the qualification by which students' attainment at age sixteen has been measured for the last thirty years. Despite the longevity of GCSEs, relatively little research has explored the views and experiences of those undertaking them. Using a…

For the first time in the history of the high stakes Leaving Certificate Established examination in Ireland, teachers graded and ranked their own students due to COVID-19 restrictions. In the wake of the process, a questionnaire and focus group interviews explored how teachers engaged with the Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades 2020 (CG2020)…

This report looks at the provision of GCSE subjects in England in 2023. Provision in a subject is defined as the number or percentage of schools with at least one student taking the subject. It could be argued that this may not cover all the 'provision', since schools might offer to provide a subject but none of their students wants to study it.…

The role and significance of schooling in maintaining and renewing social disadvantage is particularly evident in upper secondary education, and especially so in the high-stakes final examination at the end of Year 12. This paper focusses on Senior English in this context, with specific regard to the Australian state of New South Wales. Building…

The Leaving Certificate programme in Ireland is a two year programme for upper second-level students and culminates in them sitting externally-set high stakes State examinations. Students' experiences of the programme are dominated by these assessment demands and the level of media coverage of these examinations has been deemed 'extraordinary' by…

Since 2015/16, a standardized written final examination in mathematics or applied mathematics has been compulsory for nearly all pupils at the upper secondary level in Austria. While this standardized competence-oriented maturity examination is intended to increase pupils' subject-related study ability, empirical research in this regard is scarce.…

This dissertation studies two distinct but equally essential industries: higher education and water utilities. In the context of higher education, I investigate the impact of subsidies on equilibrium prices and quality levels. For water utilities, I explore the differences between public and private providers in terms of productivity and…

The current study investigated factors that potentially influenced the pedagogic practices of 132 EFL teachers from 28 secondary schools in a large city in Poland. The teachers completed a questionnaire about the factors that impacted their teaching practices. The primary influences on teaching practices turned out to be the course textbook and…

High-stakes testing is meant to create a positive washback effect on student learning. Performance funding can raise stakes. However, it is not often used, and its washback is uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to examine performance-funding programs based on students' exam results. We study principals' perceptions and interpretations of how…