Should value‐added school effects models include student‐ and school‐level covariates? Evidence from Australian population assessment data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary N. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Value Added ◽  
School Effects ◽  
School Level ◽  
Assessment Data ◽  
Australian Population ◽  
Population Assessment

scholarly journals Effects of school environments on student risk-behaviours: evidence from a longitudinal study of secondary schools in England

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 502-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Bonell ◽  
Emma Beaumont ◽  
Matthew Dodd ◽  
Diana Ruth Elbourne ◽  
Leonardo Bevilacqua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Value Added ◽  
School Effects ◽  
School Level ◽  
Disadvantaged Students ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Human Functioning ◽  
Student Risk ◽  
School Organisation

BackgroundThe theory of human functioning and school organisation proposes that schools with rigid ‘boundaries’ (weaker relationships), for example, between staff and students, or learning and broader development, engender weaker student school commitment and sense of belonging, particularly among disadvantaged students, leading to greater involvement in risk-behaviours. Existing studies provide some support but rely on a proxy exposure of ‘value-added education’ and have not explored effects by disadvantage.MethodsWe used longitudinal data from English secondary schools from the control arm of a trial, assessing school-level measures of rigid boundaries, and student commitment and belonging at age 11/12, and student risk-behaviours at age 14/15.ResultsOur direct measures were more strongly associated with risk-behaviours than was value-added education. School-level rigid boundaries were associated with increased alcohol use and bullying. Student belonging was more consistently associated with reduced risk-behaviours than was student commitment. Some school effects were greater for students from disadvantaged subgroups defined in terms of poverty, ethnicity and family structure.ConclusionOur results provide direct support for the theory of human functioning and school organisation and suggest a sense of belonging in school might be particularly protective factor among secondary school students. School effects on risk are generally stronger among disadvantaged students as theorised.Trial registration numberISRCTN10751359

The Sensitivity of Value-Added Modeling to the Creation of a Vertical Score Scale

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek C. Briggs ◽  
Jonathan P. Weeks
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Value Added ◽  
School Effects ◽  
School Level ◽  
Vertical Scale ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Item Level ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Value Added Modeling ◽  
Proficiency Estimation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of growth and value-added modeling to the way an underlying vertical score scale has been created. Longitudinal item-level data were analyzed with both student- and school-level identifiers for the entire state of Colorado between 2003 and 2006. Eight different vertical scales were established on the basis of choices made for three key variables: the item response theory modeling approach, the calibration approach, and the student proficiency estimation approach. Each scale represented a methodological approach that was psychometrically defensible. Longitudinal values from each scale were used as the outcome in a commonly used value-added model (the “layered model” popularized by William Sanders) as a means of estimating school effects. Our findings suggest that while the ordering of estimating school effects is insensitive to the underlying vertical scale, the precision of such value-added estimates can be quite sensitive to the combinations of choices made in the creation of the scale.

Teacher Quality Gaps by Disability and Socioeconomic Status: Evidence From Los Angeles

2020 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2095517
Author(s):  
Ijun Lai ◽  
W. Jesse Wood ◽  
Scott A. Imberman ◽  
Nathan D. Jones ◽  
Katharine O. Strunk
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Quality ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Value Added ◽  
General Education Teachers ◽  
School Level ◽  
Quality Teachers ◽  
Evaluation Scores

Although most students with disabilities (SWDs) receive instruction from general education teachers, little empirical work has investigated whether these students have suitable access to high-quality teachers. We explore the differences in teacher quality experienced by SWDs and students without disabilities (non-SWDs) in the Los Angeles Unified School District, examining how access varies within schools as well as across school-level disadvantage rates. We leverage several different indicators of teacher effectiveness for general education teachers who instruct both SWDs and non-SWDs. We find that SWDs are significantly more likely to have teachers with lower math value-added (–0.024 standard deviations) than their non-SWD peers, and we find emerging gaps in teacher evaluation scores and exposure to novice teachers. In general, these gaps do not vary by school-level disadvantage.

scholarly journals Interpreting Tests of School VAM Validity

2016 ◽  
Vol 106 (5) ◽  
pp. 388-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Angrist ◽  
Peter Hull ◽  
Parag Pathak ◽  
Christopher Walters
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Value Added ◽  
School Effects ◽  
Test Statistic ◽  
Forecast Bias ◽  
Value Added Models

We develop over-identification tests that use admissions lotteries to assess the predictive value of regression-based value-added models (VAMs). These tests have degrees of freedom equal to the number of quasi-experiments available to estimate school effects. By contrast, previously implemented VAM validation strategies look at a single restriction only, sometimes said to measure forecast bias. Tests of forecast bias may be misleading when the test statistic is constructed from many lotteries or quasi-experiments, some of which have weak first stage effects on school attendance. The theory developed here is applied to data from the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School district analyzed by Deming (2014).

Establishing a parsimonious model through comparing impact of key student and school factors on secondary school value-added effects

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-183
Author(s):  
Lijuan Li ◽  
Kerry John Kennedy ◽  
Magdalena Mo Ching Mok
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish and compare multilevel models that significantly predict school effects on adding value to their students regarding English reading from Secondary One to Secondary Six. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 3,993 students within 66 schools in 2006 by the Educational Bureau of Hong Kong. Findings – When entering Secondary One, the students’ English reading ability was tested then again at Secondary Six. A range of value-added models were fitted to the data. The comparison across these models suggests that student individual scores at intake are the most powerful indicators of value-added. The intake aptitude test scores, aggregated to school level, and gender made no significant difference. At the individual level, student band was the significant predictor. School level effects were largely non-significant. Specific findings on value-added across the schools are visualized as evidence of the parsimony of the selected model. Research limitations/implications – Secondary data such as this while collected at one point in time nevertheless can still shed light on current policies and practices. It is particularly the case considering that the value-added effects system is still working in Hong Kong over decades but less examined academically. Originality/value – This study has produced some insights for stakeholders to identify influences on the value-added patterns.

scholarly journals Are School Factors Important for Measuring Teacher Effectiveness? A Multilevel Technique to Predict Student Gains through a Value-Added Approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bidya Raj Subedi ◽  
Bonnie Swan ◽  
Michael C. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Linear Model ◽  
Value Added ◽  
School Level ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Gain Scores ◽  
A Value ◽  
Value Added Model ◽  
School Poverty ◽  
Level Effect

This paper investigated the effect of teacher quality, represented by teacher level characteristics, on mathematics gain scores employing a three-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) through value-added model (VAM) approach. The analysis investigated significant predictors at student, teacher, and school levels for predicting students' gain scores and also estimated d-type effect sizes at teacher and school levels. We found the significant effects of teacher's mathematics content certification, teacher experience, and the interaction effects of mathematics content certification with student level predictors. Although school poverty significantly predicted students' gain scores, the school level effect was relatively small.

Teacher Value-Added at the High-School Level

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan D. Goldhaber ◽  
Pete Goldschmidt ◽  
Fannie Tseng
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Value Added ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level

scholarly journals INTERPRETING LARGE SCALE NATIONAL LEVEL ASSESSMENT DATA IN MATHEMATICS BY USING RASCH ANALYSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
Pāvels Pestovs ◽  
Dace Namsone
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
General Education ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
School Level ◽  
Minimum Level ◽  
Assessment Data ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Improve Student Achievement ◽  
The Impact

Latvia is undergoing a nation-wide curriculum reform in general education, with an aim to help students to develop 21st century skills. In order to successfully implement reform, not only teacher performance in the classroom is important, but also the transformation of the school culture is of high priority. One of the key dimensions that is characteristic for a school as learning organization culture is whether it has data-driven culture and is using data on continuous basis to improve student achievement. Large scale national level assessment data is used for many different purposes, however, this data only rarely is recognised as useful data source for planning actions to improve student achievement at school level. Authors argue that in different grades average performance of students cannot be compared in a meaningful way to develop action plan and evaluate the impact of the initiatives at the school level. It is based on the issues rising from varying difficulty level of the tests and different skills, which are being assessed. The study design is based on in-depth analysis of items of large-scale national level assessment in mathematics, defining minimum level of competency of mathematics and calculating percentage of students in school with minimum level of competence in a cohort. This analysis is conveyed for the students of 3rd, 6th and 9th grade by using Rasch model, thus allowing to effectively monitor the student performance during the general education and use of data to make informed decisions.  

ADHD-Related School Compositional Effects: An Exploration

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1275-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Stone ◽  
Timothy Brown ◽  
Stephen Hinshaw
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Mathematics Achievement ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Externalizing Symptoms ◽  
School Effects ◽  
School Level ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Compositional Effects

Background/ Context Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) provide a test case through which to investigate psychosocial school compositional effects. Characterized by developmentally atypical levels of inattention, activity, and impulsivity, the condition often manifests itself, and is identified, in school settings and is associated with deficits in academic and social functioning. Research on school practices related to children with ADHD and regional variation in diagnosis and psychostimulant treatment rates supported the expectation that such compositional effects would be observed. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study examines variation in ADHD compositional effects as a function of key school factors derived from school effects research and the education production function literature, including student body and teacher characteristics, structural features, and specific school process and practices. It also tested for the presence of ADHD compositional effects on three key student-level outcomes: reading achievement, mathematics achievement, and teacher-reported levels of externalizing behavior. It was hypothesized that there would be negative effects on all three outcomes, such that children in schools with higher proportions of children with ADHD would show lower achievement in reading and math, and higher levels of externalizing symptoms (that is, aggressive and disruptive behaviors). Population/Participants/Subjects Approximately 14,000 students in more 1,000 schools participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) constituted the analytic samples. The ECLS-K collected a rich set of child background, mental health, and behavioral characteristics, as well as school achievement indicators. School administrators reported on school characteristics and practices. Research Design Because the ECLS-K follows groups of students nested within schools, it allowed for particularly robust tests for the presence and correlates of within-school aggregations of children with ADHD using student- and school-level fixed-effects models. In addition, several steps were taken to address the potential conflation of the ADHD compositional effect with ECLS-K sampling dynamics and methods. Findings Results generated from student-level fixed-effects regression models indicate that ADHD clustering effects predict lower reading achievement scores in schools as compared with schools without this characteristic, but comparable levels of mathematics achievement and externalizing symptoms. These ADHD-related school effects were larger in schools serving minority students, schools with higher retention rates, and schools with a strong emphasis on order. For both children and schools, the patterning of ADHD-related effects differed by region. Conclusions Findings are discussed in light of research criticizing the aggregation of children with disruptive behavioral characteristics and/or low academic performance within classrooms and schools, as well as larger school resegregation trends.>

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