We study the effect of preferences for boys on the performance in mathematics of girls, using evidence from two different data sources. In our first set of results, we identify families with a preference for boys by using fertility stopping rules in a large population of households whose children attend public schools in Florida. Girls growing up…

There is an extensive body of research establishing measures of oral reading fluency as valid and reliable predictors of important reading outcomes and performance on high stakes tests (Good, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 2001). The present study was conducted to determine whether these findings also apply to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test…

Since the inception of the FCAT, the scaled scores students receive have been summarized by categorizing them into levels of performance. For every single test (in one subject area, at one grade level, for one year) the State of Florida has carefully determined cutoff scores that classify performance into 5 different levels of proficiency. It…