Although research indicates that individual students benefit when they enroll in early algebra classes, evaluations of broad-based algebra acceleration often report negative effects. Using a regression discontinuity design, we replicate the positive effects of eighth-grade algebra placement on student achievement found in prior studies. We then…

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…

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…