VALUE ADDED ACCOUNTABILITY
The number and types of standardized tests administered to students are many. There has been only limited discussion of their purpose, strengths, and weaknesses. Testing is undeniably important; without it, there is no consistent way to measure learning. Yet the information that comes from most standardized tests fails to tell us enough about the quality of our schools.
Schools are often judged based on their students' absolute test scores. The problem with this approach is that absolute test scores are overwhelmingly linked to students' family income: wealthy school districts tend to have high scores and districts that serve low-income students tend to have low scores. Unless we believe that only rich schools are good schools, and that good schools are necessarily rich schools, we need an approach that evaluates schools based on how their academic programs impact their students.
Unlike every other way of looking at test results, value-added assessment solves this problem by allowing us to separate the contributions of the teacher and school from those of the student and family. As a result, value-added finally provides a fair way to measure the impact of teaching on student learning.
Value-added looks at the individual child over time to see whether he or she is moving forward. It works no matter where the student starts the year - on grade, below grade, or above grade level. And because demographic and socio-economic factors remain largely the same over time, value-added is fair regardless of a child's background. This is extremely important, since it means that schools and educators will be treated fairly regardless of the students they serve.
Value-added is a complex statistical system but the idea behind it is quite simple. In concept, value-added uses all of a student's prior test scores to create a projected score for the student in her current level, and then compares that score to her actual score. If the two scores are similar, we can say that she has achieved one year's worth of growth over the course of that year relative to the rest of the students in the district.
In practice, the value-added methodology works by using all student achievement data available for each student to estimate the impact of districts, schools, and classrooms on student learning. The system considers a student's past and current scores in all subjects simultaneously, adding data from subsequent years as soon as it is available. Value-added even includes partial or incomplete records to ensure that data from all students are included in the estimation process.
Value-added can help schools make important decisions about the best ways to help children achieve at high levels and can serve as the cornerstone of accountability. There are various forms of value-added in use.
This accountability system calls for high-quality annual testing, which is necessary for value-added. The new Federal Education Philosophy, "No Child Left Behind," already requires tests in year 6. Value Added accountability system calls for additional testing in each year of primary school. In the primary school, the tests will be in English-language, Bahasa Malaysia, math, science, and history; in secondary school, students will be tested using subject-specific exams for the courses they have taken. In this way and in the school accountability provisions discussed below, the Value Added system and No Child Left Behind are perfect complements.
All tests must be aligned with the Ministry's standards and local curriculum; measure higher-order thinking skills; and include open-ended questions in addition to multiple choice. Using high-quality tests is imperative for accountability. If the tests are to have consequences for students and educators, then teachers must be able to teach to them with confidence.
The annual federal exams must then be scored in a way that tells us whether students are exceeding the standards, achieving the standards, approaching the standards, or falling far below the standards. Finally, Value Added accountability calls for statistical analysis providing annual classroom, school, and district reports that put the data directly into the hands of educators.
Further reading in "Value Added Assessment" can be reached from the links listed below:
http://www.effwa.org/pdfs/Value-Added.pdf
Schools are often judged based on their students' absolute test scores. The problem with this approach is that absolute test scores are overwhelmingly linked to students' family income: wealthy school districts tend to have high scores and districts that serve low-income students tend to have low scores. Unless we believe that only rich schools are good schools, and that good schools are necessarily rich schools, we need an approach that evaluates schools based on how their academic programs impact their students.
Unlike every other way of looking at test results, value-added assessment solves this problem by allowing us to separate the contributions of the teacher and school from those of the student and family. As a result, value-added finally provides a fair way to measure the impact of teaching on student learning.
Value-added looks at the individual child over time to see whether he or she is moving forward. It works no matter where the student starts the year - on grade, below grade, or above grade level. And because demographic and socio-economic factors remain largely the same over time, value-added is fair regardless of a child's background. This is extremely important, since it means that schools and educators will be treated fairly regardless of the students they serve.
Value-added is a complex statistical system but the idea behind it is quite simple. In concept, value-added uses all of a student's prior test scores to create a projected score for the student in her current level, and then compares that score to her actual score. If the two scores are similar, we can say that she has achieved one year's worth of growth over the course of that year relative to the rest of the students in the district.
In practice, the value-added methodology works by using all student achievement data available for each student to estimate the impact of districts, schools, and classrooms on student learning. The system considers a student's past and current scores in all subjects simultaneously, adding data from subsequent years as soon as it is available. Value-added even includes partial or incomplete records to ensure that data from all students are included in the estimation process.
Value-added can help schools make important decisions about the best ways to help children achieve at high levels and can serve as the cornerstone of accountability. There are various forms of value-added in use.
This accountability system calls for high-quality annual testing, which is necessary for value-added. The new Federal Education Philosophy, "No Child Left Behind," already requires tests in year 6. Value Added accountability system calls for additional testing in each year of primary school. In the primary school, the tests will be in English-language, Bahasa Malaysia, math, science, and history; in secondary school, students will be tested using subject-specific exams for the courses they have taken. In this way and in the school accountability provisions discussed below, the Value Added system and No Child Left Behind are perfect complements.
All tests must be aligned with the Ministry's standards and local curriculum; measure higher-order thinking skills; and include open-ended questions in addition to multiple choice. Using high-quality tests is imperative for accountability. If the tests are to have consequences for students and educators, then teachers must be able to teach to them with confidence.
The annual federal exams must then be scored in a way that tells us whether students are exceeding the standards, achieving the standards, approaching the standards, or falling far below the standards. Finally, Value Added accountability calls for statistical analysis providing annual classroom, school, and district reports that put the data directly into the hands of educators.
Further reading in "Value Added Assessment" can be reached from the links listed below:
http://www.effwa.org/pdfs/Value-Added.pdf
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