Under the high-stakes accountability regime, narrower curricula and/or teaching to narrower tests can restrict the range of skills students acquire. We develop a theory of skill range restriction at the state level. The analysis focuses on math and reading skills in fourth and eighth grade between 2003 and 2009. At both grade levels, the average student's range of math and reading skills expanded, but there was considerable between-state variation. In fourth grade, math and reading skills were affected in different ways by percentages of African American and Hispanic students in the state, average class size, and political conservatism. In eighth grade, math and reading skills were restricted, respectively, by lower per-pupil revenue and lower average adult income. Skill range restriction was associated with greater proficiency gains, since students needed to demonstrate proficiency in fewer skills. An exception was in fourth-grade reading, for which we observed the opposite pattern.
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