Increased learning or grade inflation? A comparative analysis of internal and external assessment systems in secondary education

Abstract

School assessment assesses curricular achievement and educational quality to the extent that it is relevant, reliable and valid. Objective. To analyze the performance of students in the second year of high school, comparing the consistency of the teacher's school grade (internal evaluation) with the scores of standardized tests (external evaluation). A longitudinal analysis (2014-2022) of the school performance databases of the Ministry of Education and the results in the standardized tests of the System for Measuring the Quality of Education in Chile is performed. It compares both evaluation systems of a total of 250,000 students organized in 2,972 schools. The data show a continuous decoupling between the internal and external evaluation systems. On the one hand, there is a sustained increase in teachers' school ratings and, on the other, a relative invariability in standardized test scores, both in language and mathematics. This situation is particularly evident in schools that preferentially serve students of a higher socioeconomic level. This evaluation inconsistency would indicate the existence of a practice of grade inflation, a strategic behavior in response to the pressures that various agents directly or indirectly exert on teachers.