Source: The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas. Volume 82, Issue 1; Sep/Oct 2008. p. 11-15
The author explores the challenges and promises of value-added assessment.
As NCLB approaches the end of statistically possible achievement gains in schools, value-added assessment is being employed to longitudinally measure student learning to determine a school's effect. Yet, value-added assessment is limited in its explanatory powers because it focuses only on certain types of knowledge and needs to be used in conjunction with other estimates. As such, the author provides a variety of perspectives to help educational stakeholders explore the assessment not just as a new test but rather as a promising and potentially damaging lever of change in school cultures.