@article {4262, title = {Public and Private School Grade Inflations Patterns in Secondary Education}, journal = {The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis \& Policy}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, publisher = {IZA working papers}, chapter = {305-342}, abstract = {

We examine the extent of grade inflation in courses taken during high school and how such differences vary across student and school characteristics. Using administrative data, we assess grade inflation in Portuguese high schools over a decade. We propose a relative measure of grade inflation, comparing students{\textquoteright} high school grades to their national exam ranks. Examining various school types, we find that private schools tend to inflate grades more than their public school peers, particularly at the top of the ability distribution. A regional disaggregation indicates that the northern districts exhibit higher probabilities of grade inflation.

}, doi = { https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2024-0136} } @article {4213, title = {Specialists or All-Rounders: How Best to Select University Students?}, journal = {Journal of Human Capital}, year = {2024}, abstract = {

This paper studies whether universities should select their students only using specialised subject-specific tests or based on a broader set of skills and knowledge. Theoretically, I show that even if broader skills are not improving graduates{\textquoteright} outcomes in the labour market, the university optimally chooses to use them as a criterion for selection alongside the mastery of more subject-specific tools. Empirically, I exploit the variation between subject-specific and non-specific entrance exam sets on Portuguese students{\textquoteright} large administrative dataset. My central finding is that universities with less specialised admission policies admit a pool of students who obtain a higher final GPA.

}, doi = {10.1086/728086}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1086/728086}, author = {Pedro Lu{\'\i}s Silva} } @article {4257, title = {Mestrados em Portugal}, year = {2023}, institution = {CIPES}, abstract = {

[Excerto] Em Portugal, em 2021, a percentagem de pessoas na popula{\c c}{\~a}o entre os 25 e os 64 anos com mestrado atingiu 21,2\%, um valor mais elevado que na UE221 com 17,0\% e OCDE com 13,9\%2. O que contrasta com o facto de 31,1\% possu{\'\i}rem ensino superior, contra 38,1\% na UE22 e 39,7\% na OCDE. O mestrado tem vindo, assim, a assumir um peso importante no ensino superior em Portugal. A obten{\c c}{\~a}o do mestrado em m{\'e}dia compensa em termos de resultados no mercado de trabalho. Em 2021, em Portugal, os detentores de mestrado tinham uma taxa m{\'e}dia de empregabilidade de 92,5\% face a somente 82,8\% dos detentores de licenciatura3 . Adicionalmente, o r{\'a}cio salarial entre mestrado e licenciatura tem vindo a aumentar desde 2013, tendo atingido 1,22 em 20194 . Os bons resultados dos detentores de mestrado ao n{\'\i}vel do mercado de trabalho s{\~a}o positivos, mas h{\'a} quest{\~o}es em que medida o mestrado est{\'a} de facto a elevar as compet{\^e}ncias dos diplomados, ou sobretudo a servir como credencial que est{\'a} a ser utilizada pelos empregadores para triarem e diferenciarem entre candidatos a empregos e ajud{\'a}-los a tomar decis{\~o}es de recrutamento [...]

}, url = {https://hdl.handle.net/1822/86699}, author = {Pedro Lu{\'\i}s Silva and Cl{\'a}udia Sarrico} } @article {4258, title = {Doutoramentos em Portugal}, year = {2023}, url = {https://hdl.handle.net/1822/85125}, author = {Pedro Lu{\'\i}s Silva and Cl{\'a}udia Sarrico} } @article {4261, title = {High school and exam scores: Does their predictive validity for academic performance vary with programme selectivity?}, year = {2022}, publisher = {IZA working papers}, abstract = {

Students are admitted into higher education based on their past performance. This paper compares two measures of past cognitive skills: teacher and national exam scores. By using a nationwide dataset, we look at how the predictive power of teacher assessment and exam scores for selecting successful students may vary with the degree of selectivity of higher education programmes. We find that teacher scores predict students{\textquoteright} performance in higher education more accurately, and its predictive power remains the same independently of the selectivity programme indicator considered. We found that national exam scores are noisier and only gain relevance for highly selective programmes. Furthermore, we explore national exams{\textquoteright} volatility and institutional selectivity as potential mechanisms to justify the results. Our results provide solid policy hints on the role that high school scores and admission exams should have for access and performance in higher education.

}, keywords = {admission exams; teacher scores; higher education; selectivity}, url = {https://docs.iza.org/dp15350.pdf}, author = {Pedro Lu{\'\i}s Silva and Carla S{\'a} and R. Biscaia and Pedro Teixeira} } @article {3927, title = {Student selection and performance in higher education: admission exams vs. high school scores}, journal = {Education Economics}, volume = {28}, year = {2020}, pages = {437{\textendash}454}, abstract = {

In many countries, students are selected into higher education institutions based on their achievement at high school, measured by scores given by their teachers and obtained on final national exams. This paper compares these two measures in terms of their ability to predict students{\textquoteright} success in higher education. Accounting for sample selection problems, we find that the high school score is a stronger predictor of students{\textquoteright} performance at university. However, the score obtained in the mathematics national exam still adds information. We conclude that both measures are complementary, a result that is relevant for university recruitment and selection policies.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2020.1782846}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09645292.2020.1782846} } @article {3928, title = {Specialists or All-rounders: How best to select university students?}, journal = {Available at SSRN 3757434}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

This paper studies whether universities should select their students only using specialised subject-specific tests, or on the basis of a broader set of skills and knowledge. The empirical analysis is guided by a theoretical framework. The theoretical model shows that even if broader skills are not improving graduates{\textquoteright} outcomes in the labour market, the university chooses to use them as a criterion for selection alongside the mastery of more subject-specific tools. This is so because broader skills allow the university to select candidates who are on average abler. I test the model on a large administrative dataset of Portuguese students. Within programmes, I exploit the variation between specific and non-specific entrance exam sets. My central finding is that, on average, universities with less specialised admission policies admit a pool of students who obtain a higher final GPA.

}, keywords = {University Choice \& Admission Tests \& Job Market \& General Skills.}, author = {Pedro Lu{\'\i}s Silva} }