High School Performance in the National Baccalaureate Tests in Regional Education Jurisdictions in Costa Rican Border Areas, 2013-2016

Abstract

n the frame of the Program Perfiles, Dinámicas y Desafíos de la Educación Costarricense, from the Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE), of the National University of Costa Rica, this article aims to open a space of national dialog and reflection about the standardized tests of the national baccalaureat (pruebas nacionales de bachillerato or PNB) for secondary education in Costa Rica, and the performance of secondary schools in border zones. Its specific goal is to analyze the results of these national tests of secondary education in Costa Rica as instruments to certify knowledge in the border zones of the country, with the intention to visualize advancements in education and their social repercussions. The analysis is based on the results of the PNB reported to the Education Ministry by the eight regional education authorities located in border zones from the north and south of the country, and their relation with the Social Development Index (Índice de Desarrollo Social or IDS) of the cantons under these authorities jurisdiction. The statistical data were worked in two dimensions, one related to the PNB results in terms of general promotion, and average grades; and the second one related to the IDS for 2013. The data analysis process let us show some transcendental conclusions regarding equity, educative inclusion, and social development conditions to take into consideration when interpreting PNB results in the country.