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The effect of composition may be strong in systems where students are systematically sorted based on their socio-economic background. This paper aims to model the differential effect of class composition on pupils' achievement in Belgium (French-speaking Community), France, Spain and Portugal. Multilevel models are consequently tested on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 data (20,830 pupils in 1139 classes). Our results suggest that socio-economic composition does not have an equivalent effect on pupil achievement in the four countries included in our analysis: its effect is strong in the French-speaking Community of Belgium and France but smaller in Spain and Portugal.

The Belgian educational field includes separate educational systems reflecting the division of the country into linguistic communities. Even if the French-speaking and the Dutch-speaking communities keep sharing important similarities in terms of funding rules and structures, they present a huge gap between their respective pupils' achievement. The Belgian educational systems are then characterized by high levels of segregation; this paper aims to model the potential differential effect of school composition on pupils' achievement. Multilevel models are consequently tested on the Programme for International Student Assessment 2009 data (7184 respondents in 236 schools). Our results suggest that the position of pupils in the educational system still has a deep influence in a system that functions as a quasi-market and where grade repetition and tracking are widely used. Our analysis also confirms that academic and socio-economic compositions have an extra negative effect on pupils' achievement.

The effect of composition may be strong in systems where students are systematically sorted based on their socio-economic background. This paper aims to model the differential effect of class composition on pupils’ achievement in Belgium (French-speaking Community), France, Spain and Portugal. Multilevel models are consequently tested on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 data (20,830 pupils in 1139 classes). Our results suggest that socio-economic composition does not have an equivalent effect on pupil achievement in the four countries included in our analysis: its effect is strong in the French-speaking Community of Belgium and France but smaller in Spain and Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belgian educational field includes separate educational systems reflecting the division of the country into linguistic communities. Even if the French-speaking and the Dutch-speaking communities keep sharing important similarities in terms of funding rules and structures, they present a huge gap between their respective pupils’ achievement. The Belgian educational systems are then characterized by high levels of segregation; this paper aims to model the potential differential effect of school composition on pupils’ achievement. Multilevel models are consequently tested on the Programme for International Student Assessment 2009 data (7184 respondents in 236 schools). Our results suggest that the position of pupils in the educational system still has a deep influence in a system that functions as a quasi-market and where grade repetition and tracking are widely used. Our analysis also confirms that academic and socio-economic compositions have an extra negative effect on pupils’ achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]