286 – Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: The State of Value Added/Growth Modeling and the Impact on Teacher Evaluation
Estimating the Impact of "Real World Outcomes" on Teacher Effectiveness Measurements: Initial Results from RealVAMs Project NSF - DRL #1336027
Jennifer E. Broatch
Arizona State University
With evaluation systems increasingly reliant upon value added measures of teacher/program effectiveness, it is imperative to create the most accurate, reliable and valid estimates of contributions to student achievement. Value Added Models (VAMs) attempt to measure a teacher's impact on student achievement beyond what is expected of a student given the student's and his or her peers' prior performance and demographic information. This paper discusses current modeling developments including initial results from the NSF Funded RealVAMS project that extends traditional VAM estimates by incorporating "real world" outcomes such as college entry.