Can the Elite Stream Improve the Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students? - A Study of High School Students from X City in western China based on Regression Discontinuity Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

The fairness and efficacy of elite streaming in general senior secondary education remain contentious. Using longitudinal data from students enrolled in five senior secondary schools in X City, western China, during 2017–2018, the study evaluates elite class streaming on academic performance via regression discontinuity analysis. Results show grade-10 and grade-12 performance differences do not translate into a sustained three-year advantage; elite streams show no marked promotive effects, and effects do not differ by gender or urban–rural background.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Methodology

Data Sources

Research Design

Can the Elite Stream Improve the Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students? A Study of High School Students from X City in western China based on Regression Discontinuity Analysis Jing Yang, 1, 3 Xiaomei Ye,2 Yuhong Du 1 1. Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 2. Peking University, Beijing, China 3. Tianquan Senior Secondary School of Sichuan Province, Ya ’an, Sichuan, China Abstract: The fairness and efficacy of the elite stream in general senior secondary education have long been a contentious issue. Based on the longitudinal data of the students who were enrolled in five senior secondary schools in X City in western China in 2017 and 2018, this study examined the effects of elite class streaming in improving student academic performance, using regression discontinuity analysis. The research findings showed that: despite the significant differences in the grade-10 streaming examination results and the grade-12 academic achievement between the elite class and regular class students, the gap was not markedly widened after three years of senior secondary education; the elite stream did not exhibit distinct promotive effects on the advancement of students’ overall performance when the cutoff point of elite class admission was utilized as the exogenous variable to evaluate the effects of the elite stream on student performance; both the parameter estimation and non-parametric estimation results demonstrated that the elite stream had no marked effects in improving student performance and there was no gender difference or urban vs. rural difference in the impact of the elite stream on student academic achievement. Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2023; 14(1):1757-1761. Doi: [10.15354/bece.23.ar062](10.15354/bece.23.ar062) How to Cite: Yang, J., Ye, X., & Du, Y. (2023). Can the elite stream improve the academic achievement of senior secondary school students? A study of high school students from X city in western China based on regression discontinuity analysis. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 14(1):1757-1761. Keywords: Elite Class, Academic Performance, Regression Discontinuity Design About Authors: Jing Yang, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Tianquan Senior Secondary School of Sichuan Province, Ya’an, Sichuan, China. Yuhong Du, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. Correspondence to: Xiaomei Ye, Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China. E-mail: [201523010066@mail.bnu.edu.cn](201523010066@mail.bnu.edu.cn) [Conflict of Interests](Conflict of Interests: None.)[: None.](Conflict of Interests: None.) © 2023 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. Introduction Elite Classes deployed by general high schools have always been an attraction to parents of students of senior secondary level. With elite classes, schools put high achieving students into the fast stream, equipping them with experienced anchor teachers, and implementing more demanding instruction. Under the principle of equitable and efficient education, a scientific evaluation of the impact of the elite stream on student academic advancement is crucial for students and their parents making evidence-based educational decisions and for schools reasonably allotting educational resources. Based on the academic achievement status of both elite class and regular class students from five county-level general high schools in a western city of China, this study focuses on examining the effects of the elite stream, an intra-s

FAQs

What does the study investigate about elite streaming?

It examines whether elite class streaming improves students’ academic achievement in senior secondary education.

What data and analytical method are used?

The study uses longitudinal student data from five schools in X City (2017–2018) and applies regression discontinuity analysis.

Do students benefit from the elite stream over three years?

No. Although differences appear in grade-10 streaming exam results and grade-12 achievement, the gap is not markedly widened after three years, and the elite stream shows no distinct promotive effects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr