Test performance can improve dramatically if students are
offered rewards just before they are given standardized tests and if
they receive the incentive immediately afterward, new research at the
University of Chicago shows.
Educators have long debated the value of financial and other rewards
as incentives, but a series of experiments in Chicago-area schools
showed that with the right kind of rewards, students achievement
improved by as much as six months beyond what would be expected.
The rewards apparently provide students with an incentive to take
tests more seriously. One implication is that policymakers may
underestimate students' ability in otherwise low-performing schools,
according to the research team that conducted the experiments.
