Value-added Measures in Education

What Every Educator Needs to Know

by Douglas Harris

Number of pages: 288

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

BBB Library: Education

ISBN: 9781612500003



About the Author

Harris is Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. He’s a regular adviser to education policymakers.

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Editorial Review

In Value-Added Measures in Education, economist and education researcher Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Drawing on his extensive work with schools and districts, he sets out to help educators and policy makers understand this innovative approach to assessment. Written in straightforward language and illustrated with actual student achievement data, this essential volume shows how value-added measurement can help schools make better use of their data and discusses the strengths and limitations of this approach. 

Book Reviews

"InValue-Added Measures in Education, economist and education researcher Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education." - Harvard

"It’s a hot topic because of efforts to improve classroom learning by using improvement in student test scores as one of multiple measures to evaluate teachers, and then make decisions about their retention, promotion, and pay." -Bill Gates

"In "Value-Added Measures in Education", Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Drawing on his extensive work with schools and districts, he sets out to help educators and policymakers understand this innovative approach to assessment and the issues associated with its use." -Eric

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Wisdom to Share

Since the early 1990s, one word has come up more often than any other in discussion about education. One word has changed how schools work in ways perhaps more profound than any other in history. That word is accountability.

The policies that fall under the accountability banner have been both a rallying cry and the target of condemnation.

Policy makers and the general public, on the other hand, see accountability as a matter of more versus less.

There are dozens of ways that value-added measures can be used. One of the most important distinctions is between low-stakes uses like creating professional development plans for teachers and high-stakes uses like compensation decisions.

Many people, including the children themselves, control outcomes and this makes it difficult to measure performance. The question is, how do we design accountability systems in smart ways?

School-level test-based accountability can certainly change teaching, but not always for the better and not necessarily in ways that positively influence learning.

The real question is, can value-added approaches improve education? We think the answer is YES, as long as the policies are well-designed and carefully implemented.

We don’t just need better performance measures, but a new way of thinking. The essence of education is about taking students where they start, even far down the ladder of readiness, and helping them grow as much as they can.