Post-Covid Symptoms of Secondary School Leaving Examination Results

Educational Inequalities under Extraordinary Circumstances

Abstract

The study examines the effects of school closures related to Covid-19 on secondary school leaving examination results by applying fractional and beta regression models to the intermediate and advanced written examination scores in three school subjects for the 2018-2021 exam periods. In general, written examination scores did not decrease in the examination periods affected by the school closures. Nevertheless, on average, students graduating from the vocational secondary school track achieved lower intermediate-level written examination scores compared to grammar school graduates. Further, in both examination periods affected by the pandemic (2020 and 2021), the results of vocational secondary school track graduates suffered an additional decrease in mathematics and the same tendency could be observed in history in the second year of the pandemic (2021). Nonetheless, supplementary analysis regarding the average written examination scores of educational units indicates that these results may primarily stem from the selectivity of schools and tracks based on students’ family backgrounds. Educational units with a more disadvantaged student body composition often underachieved in addition to the general effect of their SES composition in examination periods affected by the pandemic. Overall, the results suggest that the extraordinary educational circumstances related to Covid-19 may have contributed to the increase in educational inequalities.