Are teacher assessments biased? – evidence from Sweden

Abstract

This study investigates if the probability of being graded up in the school leaving certificates increases if the teacher is of the same gender as the student or if the teacher and the student both have a foreign background. The analysis is based on data on grade 9 students in Mathematics from Sweden. I find that female students and non-native students perform better on national test results if the teacher is of the same gender or also is non-native, respectively. The probability of being graded up is less likely if the student and the teacher are of the same gender.