Teacher Bias, Grade Inflation, and Gender Gaps in Achievement: Evidence from Ireland

Abstract

Due to Covid-19, there were a series of changes to Leaving Certificate assessment in Ireland between 2019 and 2023. The traditional exams-based grading in 2019 switched to grades that were largely determined by teacher assessment in 2020 and 2021 before reverting to national exams in 2022. These changes were accompanied by grade inflation that did not disappear in 2022 and 2023. We examine how these changes affected gender gaps in Leaving Certificate performance. While there are some differences across subjects, there are three robust findings: First, biases in teacher assessment modestly increased grades of females relative to males with effects throughout the grade distribution. Second, naïve estimates that do not account for grade inflation greatly exaggerate the effects of teacher bias on gender gaps at the very top of the distribution and misleadingly suggest that teacher assessment favoured boys at the bottom of the distribution. Third, while the focus has been on teacher grading, grade inflation itself has important implications for gender gaps in achievement, benefiting girls at the top of the distribution and boys at the bottom.