Value-Added to What? How a Ceiling in the Testing Instrument Influences Value-Added Estimation / Cory Koedel, Julian Betts.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Koedel, Cory.

Contributor:

Betts, Julian R.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w14778.

NBER working paper series no. w14778

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2009.

Summary:

Value-added measures of teacher quality may be sensitive to the quantitative properties of the student tests upon which they are based. This paper focuses on the sensitivity of value-added to test-score-ceiling effects. Test-score ceilings are increasingly common in testing instruments across the country as education policy continues to emphasize proficiency-based reform. Encouragingly, we show that over a wide range of test-score-ceiling severity, teachers' value-added estimates are only negligibly influenced by ceiling effects. However, as ceiling conditions approach those found in minimum-competency testing environments, value-added results are significantly altered. We suggest a simple statistical check for ceiling effects.

Notes:

March 2009.

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