Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Gian Paolo Barbetta Author-X-Name-First: Gian Paolo Author-X-Name-Last: Barbetta Author-Email: gianpaolo.barbetta@unicatt.it Author-Workplace-Name: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Author-Workplace-Name: Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Author-Name: Giuseppe Sorrenti Author-X-Name-First: Giuseppe Author-X-Name-Last: Sorrenti Author-Name: Gilberto Turati Author-X-Name-First: Gilberto Author-X-Name-Last: Turati Author-Email: gilberto.turati@unicatt.it Author-Workplace-Name: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Author-Workplace-Name: Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Title: Multigrading and Child Achievement. Abstract: We exploit Italian law DPR 81/2009, which determines class composition, as an instrument to identify the causal e ect of grouping students of di erent grades into a single class (multigrading) on children cognitive achievement. This article focuses on 7-yearold students|those at the beginning of their formal education. Results suggest that attendance in multigrade classes versus single-grade classes increases students' performance on standardized tests by 15{20 percent of a standard deviation. The positive impact of multigrading only appears for children sharing their class with peers from higher grades and is relatively stronger for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Length: 55 Creation-Date: 2018-01 File-URL: http://dipartimenti.unicatt.it/economia-finanza-def065.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf File-Function: First version, 2018 Number: def065 Classification-JEL: I26, I28, R53. Keywords: Multigrade classes, child development, peer e ects, rural areas . Handle: RePEc:ctc:serie1:def065