Non-experimental value-added models have been shown to yield forecast-unbiased estimates of teacher and school effects. To investigate, we propose a dynamic state-space model of knowledge accumulation, in which test scores are imperfect measures of knowledge, and students receive temporary and persistent shocks to their stock of knowledge each…

Measuring teacher effectiveness has been debated and studied for numerous years. While some progress has been made, consensus has yet to be reached regarding what it means to be an effective teacher and how to measure effectiveness. This study uses administrative data from North Carolina to assess the relationship between school principal…

We provide a comprehensive analysis of a Texas policy that relaxed teacher licensing requirements and created a large for-profit training industry. Using detailed administrative data, we show that for-profit-trained teachers have higher turnover and lower value-added than standard-trained teachers. But the policy significantly increased the supply…

In this study, we estimated the relationship between two popular measures of teacher effectiveness--teachers' value-added model (VAM) estimates, represented in this study via median growth percentiles (MGPs), and teachers' observational scores, derived from the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement. We examined the relationship between…

This CALDER research brief builds on pioneering research by the Measures of Effective Teaching Project (Kane et al., 2013) and Jackson (2018) to look at two measures of teacher quality-value-added measures (VAMs) for both test outcomes and non-test outcomes--and what they can tell education leaders about the teacher workforce. Both measures use a…

The success of students with disabilities (SWDs) depends on access to high-quality general education teachers. Yet, teacher value-added measures (VAMs) generally fail to distinguish between effectiveness in educating students with or without disabilities. Using data from the Los Angeles Unified School District, we create two VAMs: one focusing on…

Teachers in 13 states are evaluated using value-added models (VAMs), a measure of student growth on standardized tests. The problem is that value-added models evaluate intermediate-level teachers' ability to have students perform on a standardized assessment despite other factors affecting students' academic performance, such as socioeconomic…

Local education agencies (LEAs) continue to use value-added models (VAMs) for teacher evaluation policies and purposes, often with consequences attached. Although the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides more flexibility to LEAs, few have discontinued VAM use, suggesting they interpret VAMs as a valid measure of teacher effectiveness. In…

The number of years to estimate value-added measures (VAM) has received insufficient attention. Researchers often use as many years as available, to increase precision and decrease transitory sorting bias. However, this decision has little theoretical or empirical backing. We develop a theoretical framework and evaluate data from thousands of…

This paper aims to identify and compare key factors influencing US States' or an OECD country's decision to employ student test scores or test score value-added (VAM) in evaluating teacher effectiveness. Analysis using multiple linear probability model and logistic regression frameworks indicates that the use of VAM/student test scores was…

In this article, we explore whether the evaluation instruments used in the teacher selection process in Peru are good predictors of teacher effectiveness. To this end, we estimate teacher value-added (TVA) measures for public primary school teachers and test their relationship with Peru's results of two rounds of the teacher evaluation (i.e., a…

This paper investigates the differential effectiveness of teachers across student populations, with a focus on gifted and talented (GT) students. Using data from Los Angeles, we estimate teacher effectiveness (proxied by value-added measures (VAMs) of teachers' contributions to student achievement growth) for GT students and examine how they are…

We identify systematic differences in ninth-grade teachers' effects on students' course grades in their class (ninth-grade grade value-add), their persistent effects on students' grades in the same subject of the next grade (tenth-grade grade value-add, representing effectiveness at academic preparation), and mismatch between the grades they give…

Advocates for the use of a multi-measure system of performance evaluation argue that multiple measures may better capture meaningful differences in employee effectiveness and help align effort with organizational objectives. This may be particularly important in organizations such as schools that produce multiple outcomes. In this paper I use a…

The effect of remote learning on student performance has been a frequent topic of research and discussion in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about the impact of remote instruction on the performance of teachers. This study documents how relative effectiveness of teachers changed when moving from in-person to remote…