We assess whether ethnic minority pupils are subject to low teacher expectations. We exploit the English testing system of “quasi-blind” externally marked tests and “non-blind” internal assessment to compare differences in these assessment methods between White and ethnic minority pupils. We find evidence that some ethnic groups are systematically “under-assessed” relative to their White peers, while some are “over-assessed”. We propose a stereotype model in which a teacher’s local experience of an ethnic group affects assessment of current pupils; this is supported by the data.
Authors
![Ellen Greaves](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-07/Ellen%20Greaves.jpg?itok=J-3p-Hxf)
Research Fellow University of Bristol
Ellen, who was a Senior Research Economist at IFS and is now a Research Fellow, is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.
![Person graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/square_desktop/public/2022-06/IFS-person-graphic.png?itok=hWCtTSrz)
Simon Burgess
Report details
- Publisher
- CMPO
Suggested citation
Burgess, S and Greaves, E. (2009). Test Scores, Subjective Assessment and Stereotyping of Ethnic Minorities. Bristol: CMPO. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/test-scores-subjective-assessment-and-stereotyping-ethnic-minorities (accessed: 30 June 2024).
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