The transition to the
different tracks of the secondary system is one of the major
changes of status in young people’s lives. This article
examines teachers’ assessments of individual student
competence at the end of elementary education, based on a
sample of 976 students approaching the end of elementary
schooling in Berlin. In addition to the predictive effects
of individual achievement characteristics and social background
indicators, the study examined whether teachers’ assessments
of student competence were systematically related to class-mean
achievement. Multilevel analyses showed that, as expected,
achievement indicators and socioeconomic status were positively
associated with teachers’ assessments of student competence.
Moreover, when individual achievement was controlled, the
regression coefficient of class-mean achievement on teachers’ assessments
of student competence was negative. This finding can be interpreted
as a reference group effect.
|