The Effects of Early Tracking on Student Performance: Evidence from a School Reform

Preliminary version. Please do not quote without permission. This paper evaluates a policy reform in Bavaria that moved the timing of tracking in low- and middle-track schools from grade 6 to grade 4; students in high-track schools were not affected. To eliminate state-specific and school-type-specific shocks, I estimate a difference-in-differences-in-differences model using three PISA waves. The results indicate that early tracking reduces the performance of 15-year-old students both in low- and middle-track schools. Further evidence suggests that the share of very low-performing students increases especially in low-track schools