Student composition, equity, and mathematics learning outcomes during a time of educational reforms in Ethiopia

This paper assesses the extent to which the implementation of a complex educational reform in Ethiopia was associated with changes in mathematics test scores for Grade 4 pupils from 2012–13 to 2018–19. During this period, while mathematics teachers’ educational qualifications and teacher content knowledge in mathematics improved, students in 2018–19 achieved, on average, lower test scores in mathematics than those in 2012–13. However, they also showed, on average, greater progress in mathematics test scores. Progress in mathematics test scores over the school year was associated with teacher content knowledge, but the magnitude of this association was larger in 2018–19 and was especially important for weaker students. The key to reconciling these paradoxical findings is to recognise that the reforms that underpin these improvements in school quality may well be working in multiple ways, changing the composition of the student body who attend school as well as increasing the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom, particularly among disadvantaged students.