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Autores principales: Morell, Monica, Han, Youngjin, Kwon, Muwon, Sung, Youjin, Liu, Yang, Yang, Ji Seung
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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Acceso en línea:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.03535
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author Morell, Monica
Han, Youngjin
Kwon, Muwon
Sung, Youjin
Liu, Yang
Yang, Ji Seung
author_facet Morell, Monica
Han, Youngjin
Kwon, Muwon
Sung, Youjin
Liu, Yang
Yang, Ji Seung
contents Regression discontinuity (RD) analysis with latent variables as introduced by Morell et al. (2025), offers a useful augmentation of the conventional RD by incorporating measurement model. This approach is particularly relevant in education research, where noisy proxy (e.g., observed test score) of underlying latent construct is adopted for the running variable. This extension enables extrapolation of average treatment effect (ATE) away from the cutoff score and assessment of heterogeneous treatment effects. However, a key limitation of the original framework is its single-level structure, which does not account for the multilevel structure commonly found in education data, such as students nested within classrooms or schools. In this study, we extend the framework to multilevel contexts. We discuss models for both hierarchical RD design, where treatment is assigned at the cluster level, and multisite RD design, where treatment is assigned at the individual level within clusters. In both cases, multilevel measurement model is incorporated to describe the relationship between the latent running variable and observed indicators. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate recovery of ATEs including extrapolated estimates beyond the cutoff given adequate cluster-level sample sizes. The study highlights the applicability of RD analysis with latent variables for broader use in educational research, without being restricted by the limitations of multilevel data.
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publishDate 2026
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spellingShingle Multilevel Regression Discontinuity Models with Latent Variables
Morell, Monica
Han, Youngjin
Kwon, Muwon
Sung, Youjin
Liu, Yang
Yang, Ji Seung
Methodology
Regression discontinuity (RD) analysis with latent variables as introduced by Morell et al. (2025), offers a useful augmentation of the conventional RD by incorporating measurement model. This approach is particularly relevant in education research, where noisy proxy (e.g., observed test score) of underlying latent construct is adopted for the running variable. This extension enables extrapolation of average treatment effect (ATE) away from the cutoff score and assessment of heterogeneous treatment effects. However, a key limitation of the original framework is its single-level structure, which does not account for the multilevel structure commonly found in education data, such as students nested within classrooms or schools. In this study, we extend the framework to multilevel contexts. We discuss models for both hierarchical RD design, where treatment is assigned at the cluster level, and multisite RD design, where treatment is assigned at the individual level within clusters. In both cases, multilevel measurement model is incorporated to describe the relationship between the latent running variable and observed indicators. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate recovery of ATEs including extrapolated estimates beyond the cutoff given adequate cluster-level sample sizes. The study highlights the applicability of RD analysis with latent variables for broader use in educational research, without being restricted by the limitations of multilevel data.
title Multilevel Regression Discontinuity Models with Latent Variables
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.03535