Value-Added to What? How a Ceiling in the Testing Instrument Influences Value-Added Estimation

Cory Koedel and Julian Betts

No 807, Working Papers from Department of Economics, University of Missouri

Abstract: Value-added measures of teacher quality may be sensitive to the quantitative properties of the testing instruments upon which they are based. This paper focuses on the sensitivity of value-added to a particularly relevant testing-instrument property test-score-ceiling effects. Test-score ceilings are likely to be 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.

Keywords: Value Added; Test Score Ceiling; Ceiling Effects; Teacher Quality; Teacher Value Added (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 I21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pgs.
Date: 2008-06-15
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published in Education Finance and Policy 2010

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Related works:
Journal Article: Value Added to What? How a Ceiling in the Testing Instrument Influences Value-Added Estimation (2010)
Working Paper: Value-Added to What? How a Ceiling in the Testing Instrument Influences Value-Added Estimation (2009)
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