Value Added Methodology

The next set of NCLB reauthorization bills, as well as the next set of education bills at the state level, will undoubtedly contain references to "value-added methodology." While VAM is not new, several factors are pushing it to the forefront. These include

• the push for state-level (and national level!) student information systems that make all kinds of statistical analyses and data-mining efforts possible (whether they're good or not), and
  
• the failure of the so-called "highly qualified teacher" provisions of NCLB. According to Alexander Russo's blog at EdWeek, the reauthorization bill introduced this week (with much fanfare) allows states to opt out of the "highly qualified" paperwork maze if they will focus on "highly effective" teachers.

So, we should all know more about VAM -- even though it's difficult stuff! A good four-page paper is available on the web at http://www.teachingdata.org/pdfs/vam_bberry.pdf. We'll start looking for more plain-language information on value-added models that we can post here on our little blog.