This project builds on an ongoing SUMI project that identifies which skill groupings from item-level standardized test data drive adult wages at age 25. Early findings have revealed a striking pattern: Specific item-anchored skills that drive economic mobility are largely similar between white and Hispanic students in third grade, but the gap widens sharply at middle school entry and is never recovered, even as high school narrows gaps in the skills needed to get a high school diploma. Yet critical questions remain regarding why this divergence in mobility-relevant skills occurs at the middle school transition, what skills are being emphasized in high school to reduce the diploma gap but not the wage gap, and whether the picture changes when tracking wages through age 30 rather than age 25. This project will directly address these remaining questions by leveraging existing Texas administrative data to identify precisely when and where disparities in these economically valuable competencies emerge, pinpointing the moments in the educational pipeline where targeted investment in mobility-driving skills is most likely to make a difference, and emphasizing the skills that could be further cultivated in high school.

Data Sources 

• Data: Texas educational administrative and test data, item-level standardized test data, and National Student Clearinghouse postsecondary enrollment and completion records
• Mobility Outcomes: Texas Unemployment Insurance employment and earnings through Texas State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)