This article proposes a latent variable regression four-level hierarchical model (LVR-HM4) that uses a fully Bayesian approach. Using multisite multiple-cohort longitudinal data, for example, annual assessment scores over grades for students who are nested within cohorts within schools, the LVR-HM4 attempts to simultaneously model two types of…

This memorandum presents results from the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation's (CSAI) scan of growth models proposed in Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers, with a focus on U.S. states' and territories' differentiation of students who participate in special education programs.

The 2011 Education Agenda put students first by focusing on the individuals who most strongly influence student learning on a daily basis. In order to identify and achieve greatness in the classroom, Indiana needs fair, credible and accurate annual evaluations to differentiate teacher and principal performance, to support professional growth, and…

"Race to the Top"(RTT) asks that states "design and implement rigorous, transparent, and fair evaluation systems for teachers and principals that differentiate effectiveness using multiple rating categories that take into account data on student growth…as a significant factor." In its definition of student growth, RTT makes the…