Assessing Divergences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement in Italian Primary Schools: A Proposal of Adjusted Indicators of School Effectiveness

Abstract

This research aims to reach four main objectives by identifying plausible factors influencing Italian fifth grade pupils’ achievement in mathematics and reading: (1) to assess the relationships between pupils’ performances and their socio-cultural characteristics; (2) to suggest value-added measures of the contribution that schools give to pupils’ achievement; (3) to advance a system of indicators in order to detect schools characterized by distinctive performances; (4) to summarize main evidences at different geographical levels. Nationwide pupils’ scores in mathematics and reading tests have been jointly summarized using Item Response Theory models. A Multilevel Bivariate Regression model with heteroscedastic random terms at school-level has been adopted to single out the factors which seem to account for the greatest variability in pupils’ achievement as well as to jointly model the unobserved heterogeneity among geographical areas. A system of school value-added measures is proposed to make comparative assessments at national and at sub-national levels.