Curriculum standardization, central exams and achievement inequalities in primary education: A cross-national longitudinal study

This study examines whether standardization increases academic performance and reduces achievement inequalities in primary education. We analyze standardization from a multidimensional perspective, considering educational inputs, such as the national curriculum, and outputs, such as central exams. We use data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for 2006, 2011, and 2016, covering 43 countries and nearly 700,000 fourth-grade students. For each country and year, we construct a novel index of curriculum standardization and examine the presence of central exams. Using an innovative two-step multilevel meta-regression strategy, we assess the role of standardization in shaping average reading performance and multiple measures of test score inequality. Results reveal substantial cross-national differences in standardization practices but no consistent relationship between curricular or assessment standardization and reading proficiency or inequality. Although within-country temporal variation is limited, findings remain robust across specifications, challenging the assumption that standardization alone promotes educational equity or effectiveness in primary education.