Districts and States Working with VARC Minneapolis Milwaukee Racine Chicago Madison Tulsa Atlanta New York City Los Angeles Hillsborough County NORTH DAKOTA SOUTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA WISCONSIN ILLINOIS Denver Collier County

The Power of Two & A more complete picture of student learning AchievementValue-Added Compares students’ performance to a standard Does not factor in students’ background characteristics Measures students’ performance at a single point in time Critical to students’ post- secondary opportunities Measures students’ individual academic growth longitudinally Factors in students’ background characteristics outside of the school’s control Critical to ensuring students’ future academic success Measures the impact of teachers and schools on academic growth Adapted from materials created by Battelle for Kids

Design Quasi-experimental statistical model Controls for non- school factors (prior achievement, student and family characteristics) Output Productivity estimates for contribution of educational units (schools, classrooms, teachers) to student achievement growth Objective Valid and fair comparisons of school productivity, given that schools may serve very different student populations Value-Added Model Description

The Oak Tree Analogy

For the past year, these gardeners have been tending to their oak trees trying to maximize the height of the trees. Gardener A Gardener B Gardener A Gardener B Explaining Value-Added by Evaluating Gardener Performance

This method is analogous to using an Achievement Model. Using this method, Gardener B is the better gardener. Gardener A Gardener B 61 in. 72 in. Method 1: Measure the Height of the Trees Today (One Year After the Gardeners Began)

How is this similar to how schools have been judged in New York? What information is missing? Pause and Reflect

We need to find the starting height for each tree in order to more fairly evaluate each gardener’s performance during the past year. 61 in. 72 in. Gardener A Gardener B Oak A Age 4 (Today) Oak B Age 4 (Today) Oak A Age 3 (1 year ago) Oak B Age 3 (1 year ago) 47 in. 52 in. This Achievement Result is not the Whole Story

61 in. 72 in. Gardener A Gardener B Oak A Age 4 (Today) Oak B Age 4 (Today) Oak A Age 3 (1 year ago) Oak B Age 3 (1 year ago) 47 in. 52 in. This is analogous to a Simple Growth Model, also called Gain. +14 in. +20 in. Oak B had more growth this year, so Gardener B is the better gardener. Method 2: Compare Starting Height to Ending Height

This is an “apples to oranges” comparison. For our oak tree example, three environmental factors we will examine are: Rainfall, Soil Richness, and Temperature. Gardener A Gardener B What About Factors Outside the Gardeners’ Influence?

External condition Oak Tree AOak Tree B Rainfall amount Soil richness Temperature High Low Low High High Low Gardener A Gardener B

Gardener A Gardener B We compare the actual height of the trees to their predicted heights to determine if the gardener’s effect was above or below average. We need to analyze real data from the region to predict growth for these trees. How Much Did These External Factors Affect Growth?

In order to find the impact of rainfall, soil richness, and temperature, we will plot the growth of each individual oak in the region compared to its environmental conditions.

RainfallLowMediumHigh Growth in inches relative to the average Soil RichnessLowMediumHigh Growth in inches relative to the average -3+2 TemperatureLowMediumHigh Growth in inches relative to the average Calculating Our Prediction Adjustments Based on Real Data

Next, we will refine our prediction based on the growing conditions for each tree. When we are done, we will have an “apples to apples” comparison of the gardeners’ effect. Oak A Age 3 (1 year ago) Oak B Age 3 (1 year ago) 67 in. 72 in. Gardener A Gardener B Oak A Prediction Oak B Prediction 47 in. 52 in. +20 Average Make Initial Predictions for the Trees Based on Starting Height

Similarly, for having low rainfall, Oak B’s prediction is adjusted by -5 to compensate. For having high rainfall, Oak A’s prediction is adjusted by +3 to compensate. 70 in. 67 in. Gardener A Gardener B 47 in. 52 in. +20 Average + 3 for Rainfall - 5 for Rainfall Based on Real Data, Customize Predictions for Rainfall

For having rich soil, Oak B’s prediction is adjusted by +2. For having poor soil, Oak A’s prediction is adjusted by in. 69 in. Gardener A Gardener B 47 in. 52 in. +20 Average + 3 for Rainfall - 3 for Soil + 2 for Soil - 5 for Rainfall Adjusting for Soil Richness

For having low temperature, Oak B’s prediction is adjusted by +5. For having high temperature, Oak A’s prediction is adjusted by in. 74 in. Gardener A Gardener B 47 in. 52 in. +20 Average + 3 for Rainfall - 3 for Soil + 2 for Soil - 8 for Temp + 5 for Temp - 5 for Rainfall Adjusting for Temperature

+20 Average + 3 for Rainfall - 3 for Soil + 2 for Soil - 8 for Temp + 5 for Temp _________ +12 inches During the year _________ +22 inches During the year The predicted height for trees in Oak B’s conditions is 74 inches. The predicted height for trees in Oak A’s conditions is 59 inches. 59 in. 74 in. Gardener A Gardener B 47 in. 52 in. - 5 for Rainfall Our Gardeners are Now on a Level Playing Field

Oak B’s actual height is 2 inches less than predicted. We attribute this below-average result to the effect of Gardener B. Oak A’s actual height is 2 inches more than predicted. We attribute this above-average result to the effect of Gardener A. Predicted Oak A Predicted Oak B Actual Oak A Actual Oak B 59 in. 74 in. Gardener A Gardener B 61 in. 72 in Compare the Predicted Height to the Actual Height

This is analogous to a Value-Added measure. By accounting for last year’s height and environmental conditions of the trees during this year, we found the “value” each gardener “added” to the growth of the tree. Above Average Value-Added Below Average Value-Added Predicted Oak A Predicted Oak B Actual Oak A Actual Oak B 59 in. 74 in. Gardener A Gardener B 61 in. 72 in Method 3: Compare the Predicted Height to the Actual Height

Oak Tree AnalogyValue-Added in Education What are we evaluating? Gardeners Districts Schools Grades Classrooms Programs and Interventions How does this analogy relate to value added in the education context? What are we using to measure success? Relative height improvement in inches Relative improvement on standardized test scores Sample Single oak tree Groups of students Control factors Tree’s prior height Other factors beyond the gardener’s control: Rainfall Soil richness Temperature Students’ prior test performance (usually most significant predictor) Other demographic characteristics such as: Grade level Gender Race / Ethnicity Low-Income Status ELL Status Disability Status

A Visual Representation of Value-Added Year 2 (Post-test) Actual student achievement scale score Predicted student achievement (Based on observationally similar students) Value-Added Starting student achievement scale score Year 1 (Prior-test)

District Model Statewide Model Unified Output and Messaging Best Reference Point for Relative Growth Measurement Largest Pool of Data to Refine Predictions Customized Model Design Producing a Value-Added Model for New York State

The Value-Added model typically generates a set of results measured in scale scores. What do Value-Added Results Look Like? TeacherValue-Added Teacher A+10 Teacher B-10 Teacher C0 This teacher’s students gained 10 more points on the RIT scale than observationally similar students across the state. (10 points more than predicted) 10 points fewer than predicted These students gained exactly as many points as predicted

Value-Added in “Tier” Units Grade In some cases, Value-Added is displayed on “Tier” scale based on standard deviations (z-score) for reporting purposes. About 95% of estimates will fall between -2 and +2 on the scale.

Transformation Example IneffectiveDeveloping Effective Highly Effective

Transformation Example IneffectiveDeveloping Effective Highly Effective

Transformation Example IneffectiveDeveloping Effective Highly Effective

Transformation Example IneffectiveDeveloping Effective Highly Effective

Transformation Example IneffectiveDeveloping Effective Highly Effective

Advisor Group Value-Added Research Center New York BOCES and Districts Other New York Stakeholders Northwest Evaluation Association How do we Translate Value- Added into the 0-20 Scale?

Output Formats VARC Value-Added Output 0-20 scale based on advisory group’s recommended methodology scale score standard deviations