From Teachers College Record: Tough Issue on Flaws in VAM and Other Accountability Measures

Diane Ravitch's blog gave the link to this important issue from the Teachers College Record:

Volume 116, Number 1, 2014

Featured Articles

Introduction to High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation: High Cost—Big Losses

by Alyson Lavigne, Thomas Good & Ronald Marx

What Do We Know About How Teachers Influence Student Performance on Standardized Tests: And Why Do We Know so Little About Other Student Outcomes?

by Thomas Good

In this article, the author describes the history of classroom research and notes that, despite potential for present day application, many of those who currently develop observational systems for evaluating teachers appear to be unaware of this literature. The author describes what we know about effective teaching, the limits of using this information, and the need for identifying new important outcomes of schooling that can be used in teacher evaluation.

Teacher Effects, Value-Added Models, and Accountability

by Spyros Konstantopoulos

This paper reviews the literature on teacher effects and focuses on value-added measures and their use in evaluating teachers. Suggestions about the use of value-added measures and about the future of teacher effects research are provided.

Putting Growth and Value-Added Models on the Map: A National Overview

by Clarin Collins & Audrey Amrein-Beardsley

In this study, the researchers surveyed all 50 states and the District of Columbia to provide an inclusive national growth and value-added model overview.

State and Local Efforts To Investigate the Validity and Reliability of Scores From Teacher Evaluation Systems

by Corinne Herlihy, Ezra Karger, Cynthia Pollard, Heather Hill, Matthew Kraft, Megan Williams & Sarah Howard

This paper explores how state education officials and their district and local partners plan to implement and evaluate their teacher evaluation systems, focusing in particular on states’ efforts to investigate the reliability and validity of scores emerging from the observational component of these systems.

Exogenous Variables and Value-Added Assessments: A Fatal Flaw

by David Berliner

Teacher assessment using value-added models of teacher efficacy suffer from a fatal flaw, namely, that a myriad of exogenous (unaccounted for) variables affect student test score growth and result in unstable estimates of teacher competency from class to class and year to year.

Exploring the Intended and Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation on Schools, Teachers, and Students

by Alyson Lavigne

This article discusses the intended and unintended consequences of high-stakes teacher evaluation. The potential for high-stakes teacher evaluation to meet the intended outcome of a better teacher workforce and improved student achievement is assessed, and the costs of doing so.

Caught in a Vise: The Challenges Facing Teacher Preparation in an Era of Accountability

by Rick Ginsberg & Neal Kingston

This study examines accountability in teacher education in an era of testing. It compares how multiple professions evaluate program outcomes and identifies concerns with overemphasis on value-added models as the basis for assessing the impact of teacher preparation program graduates. Suggestions are offered for possible alternative paths.

Reforming Again: Now Teachers

by Ronald Marx

This article discusses the papers in the special issue of Teachers College Record addressing broad themes of reliability and validity that raise cautions regarding the usefulness of recent approaches to high-stakes evaluation of educators. Implications are drawn for the long-term health of the teacher labor market.

Foreword

by Diane Ravitch

Foreword to the special issue on High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation.