Working Paper: NBER ID: w9414
Authors: Brian A. Jacob; Steven D. Levitt
Abstract: This paper reports on the results of a prospective implementation of methods for detecting teacher cheating. In Spring 2002, over 100 Chicago Public Schools elementary classrooms were selected for retesting based on the cheating detection algorithm. Classrooms prospectively identified as likely cheaters experienced large test score declines. In contrast, classes that had large test score gains on the original test, but were prospectively identified as being unlikely to have cheated, maintained their original gains. Randomly selected classrooms also maintained their gains. The cheating detection tools were thus demonstrated to be effective in distinguishing between classrooms that achieved large test-score gains as a consequence of cheating versus those whose gains were the result of outstanding teaching. In addition, the data generated by the implementation experiment highlight numerous ways in which the original cheating detection methods can be improved in the future.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I20; K42
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Classrooms identified as likely cheaters (A19) | Large declines in test scores when retested (C41) |
| Classrooms not suspected of cheating (Y40) | Maintain original test score gains (C90) |
| Cheating detection tools (C88) | Identify classrooms with suspicious answer patterns (C99) |
| Cheating detection algorithm (C72) | Predict which classrooms are likely to have engaged in cheating behavior (C92) |