Tag Archives: Fairness

Five “Indisputable” Reasons Why VAMs are Good?

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Just this week, in Education Week — the field’s leading national newspaper covering K–12 education — a blogger by the name of Matthew Lynch published a piece explaining his “Five Indisputable [emphasis added] Reasons Why You Should Be Implementing Value-Added Assessment.”

I’m going to try to stay aboveboard with my critique of this piece, as best I can, as by the title alone you all can infer there are certainly pieces (mainly five) to be seriously criticized about the author’s indisputable take on value-added (and by default value-added models (VAMs)). I examine each of these assertions below, but I will say overall and before we begin, that pretty much everything that is included in this piece is hardly palatable, and tolerable considering that Education Week published it, and by publishing it they quasi-endorsed it, even if in an independent blog post that they likely at minimum reviewed, then made public.

First, the five assertions, along with a simple response per assertion:

1. Value-added assessment moves the focus from statistics and demographics to asking of essential questions such as, “How well are students progressing?”

In theory, yes – this is generally true (see also my response about the demographics piece replicated in assertion #3 below). The problem here, though, as we all should know by now, is that once we move away from the theory in support of value-added, this theory more or less crumbles. The majority of the research on this topic explains and evidences the reasons why. Is value-added better than what “we” did before, however, while measuring student achievement once per year without taking growth over time into consideration? Perhaps, but if it worked as intended, for sure!

2. Value-added assessment focuses on student growth, which allows teachers and students to be recognized for their improvement. This measurement applies equally to high-performing and advantaged students and under-performing or disadvantaged students.

Indeed, the focus is on growth (see my response about growth in assertion #1 above). What the author of this post does not understand, however, is that his latter conclusion is likely THE most controversial issue surrounding value-added, and on this all topical researchers likely agree. In fact, authors of the most recent review of what is actually called “bias” in value-added estimates, as published in the peer-reviewed Economics Education Review (see a pre-publication version of this manuscript here), concluded that because of potential bias (i.e., “This measurement [does not apply] equally to high-performing and advantaged students and under-performing or disadvantaged students“), that all value-added modelers should control for as many student-level (and other) demographic variables to help to minimize this potential, also given the extent to which multiple authors’ evidence of bias varies wildly (from negligible to considerable).

3. Value-added assessment provides results that are tied to teacher effectiveness, not student demographics; this is a much more fair accountability measure.

See my comment immediately above, with general emphasis added to this overly simplistic take on the extent to which VAMs yield “fair” estimates, free from the biasing effects (never to always) caused by such demographics. My “fairest” interpretation of the current albeit controversial research surrounding this particular issue is that bias does not exist across teacher-level estimates, but it certainly occurs when teachers are non-randomly assigned highly homogenous sets of students who are gifted, who are English Language Learners (ELLs), who are enrolled in special education programs, who disproportionately represent racial minority groups, who disproportionately come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and who have been retained in grade prior.

4. Value-added assessment is not a stand-alone solution, but it does provide rich data that helps educators make data-driven decisions.

This is entirely false. There is no research evidence, still to date, that teachers use these data to make instructional decisions. Accordingly, no research is linked to or cited here (as well as elsewhere). Now, if the author is talking about naive “educators,” in general, who make consequential decisions as based on poor (i.e., the oppostie of “rich”) data, this assertion would be true. This “truth,” in fact, is at the core of the lawsuits ongoing across the nation regarding this matter (see, for example, here), with consequences ranging from tagging a teacher’s file for receiving a low value-added score to teacher termination.

5. Value-added assessment assumes that teachers matter and recognizes that a good teacher can facilitate student improvement. Perhaps we have only value-added assessment to thank for “assuming” [sic] this. Enough said…

Or not…

Lastly, the author professes to be a “professor,” pretty much all over the place (see, again, here), although he is currently an associate professor. There is a difference, and folks who respect the difference typically make the distinction explicit and known, especially in an academic setting or context. See also here, however, given his expertise (or the lack thereof) in value-added or VAMs, about what he writes here as “indisputable.”

Perhaps most important here, though, is that his falsely inflated professional title implies, especially to a naive or uncritical public, that what he has to say, again without any research support, demands some kind of credibility and respect. Unfortunately, this is just not the case; hence, we are again reminded of the need for general readers to be critical in their consumption of such pieces. I would have thought Education Week would have played a larger role than this, rather than just putting this stuff “out there,” even if for simple debate or discussion.

Massachusetts Also Moving To Remove Growth Measures from State’s Teacher Evaluation Systems

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Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) last January, in which the federal government handed back to states the authority to decide whether to evaluate teachers with or without students’ test scores, states have been dropping the value-added measure (VAM) or growth components (e.g., the Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) package) of their teacher evaluation systems, as formerly required by President Obama’s Race to the Top initiative. See my most recent post here, for example, about how legislators in Oklahoma recently removed VAMs from their state-level teacher evaluation system, while simultaneously increasing the state’s focus on the professional development of all teachers. Hawaii recently did the same.

Now, it seems that Massachusetts is the next at least moving in this same direction.

As per a recent article in The Boston Globe (here), similar test-based teacher accountability efforts are facing increased opposition, primarily from school district superintendents and teachers throughout the state. At issue is whether all of this is simply “becoming a distraction,” whether the data can be impacted or “biased” by other statistically uncontrollable factors, and whether all teachers can be evaluated in similar ways, which is an issue with “fairness.” Also at issue is “reliability,” whereby a 2014 study released by the Center for Educational Assessment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in which researchers examined student growth percentiles, found the “amount of random error was substantial.” Stephen Sireci, one of the study authors and UMass professor, noted that, instead of relying upon the volatile results, “You might as well [just] flip a coin.”

Damian Betebenner, a senior associate at the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment Inc. in Dover, N.H. who developed the SGP model in use in Massachusetts, added that “Unfortunately, the use of student percentiles has turned into a debate for scapegoating teachers for the ills.” Isn’t this the truth, to the extent that policymakers got a hold of these statistical tools, after which they much too swiftly and carelessly singled out teachers for unmerited treatment and blame.

Regardless, and recently, stakeholders in Massachusetts lobbied the Senate to approve an amendment to the budget that would no longer require such test-based ratings in teachers’ professional evaluations, while also passing a policy statement urging the state to scrap these ratings entirely. “It remains unclear what the fate of the Senate amendment will be,” however. “The House has previously rejected a similar amendment, which means the issue would have to be resolved in a conference committee as the two sides reconcile their budget proposals in the coming weeks.”

Not surprisingly, Mitchell Chester, Massachusetts Commissioner for Elementary and Secondary Education, continues to defend the requirement. It seems that Chester, like others, is still holding tight to the default (yet still unsubstantiated) logic helping to advance these systems in the first place, arguing, “Some teachers are strong, others are not…If we are not looking at who is getting strong gains and those who are not we are missing an opportunity to upgrade teaching across the system.”

Special Issue of “Educational Researcher” (Paper #7 of 9): VAMs Situated in Appropriate Ecologies

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Recall that the peer-reviewed journal Educational Researcher (ER) – recently published a “Special Issue” including nine articles examining value-added measures (VAMs). I have reviewed the next of nine articles (#7 of 9), which is actually a commentary titled “The Value in Value-Added Depends on the Ecology.” This commentary is authored by Henry Braun – Professor of Education and Public Policy, Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation at Boston College (also the author of a previous post on this site here).

In this article Braun, importantly, makes explicit the assumptions on which this special issue of ER is based; that is, on assumptions that (1) too many students in America’s public schools are being inadequately educated, (2) evaluation systems as they currently exist “require radical overhaul,” and (3) it is therefore essential to use student test performance with low- and high-stakes attached to improve that which educators do (or don’t do) to adequately address the first assumption. There are counterarguments Braun also offers to readers on each of these assumptions (see p. 127), but more importantly he makes evident that the focus of this special issue is situated otherwise, as in line with current education policies. This special issue, overall, then “raise[s] important questions regarding the potential for high-stakes, test-driven educator accountability systems to contribute to raising student achievement” (p. 127).

Given this context, the “value-added” provided within this special issue, again according to Braun, is that the authors of each of the five main research articles included report on how VAM output actually plays out in practice, given “careful consideration to how the design and implementation of teacher evaluation systems could be modified to enhance the [purportedly, see comments above] positive impact of accountability and mitigate the negative consequences” at the same time (p. 127). In other words, if we more or less agree to the aforementioned assumptions, also given the educational policy context influence, perpetuating, or actually forcing these assumptions, these articles should help others better understand VAMs’ and observational systems’ potentials and perils in practice.

At the same time, Braun encourages us to note that “[t]he general consensus is that a set of VAM scores does contain some useful information that meaningfully differentiates among teachers, especially in the tails of the distribution [although I would argue bias has a role here]. However, individual VAM scores do suffer from high variance and low year-to-year stability as well as an undetermined amount of bias [which may be greater in the tails of the distribution]. Consequently, if VAM scores are to be used for evaluation, they should not be given inordinate weight and certainly not treated as the “gold standard” to which all other indicators must be compared” (p. 128).

Likewise, it’s important to note that IF consequences are to be attached to said indicators of teacher evaluation (i.e., VAM and observational data), there should be validity evidence made available and transparent to warrant the inferences and decisions to be made, and the validity evidence “should strongly support a causal [emphasis added] argument” (p. 128). However, both indicators still face major “difficulties in establishing defensible causal linkage[s]” as theorized, and desired (p. 128); hence, this prevents validity in inference. What does not help, either, is when VAM scores are given precedence over other indicators OR when principals align teachers’ observational scores with the same teachers’ VAM scores given the precedence often given to (what are often viewed as the superior, more objective) VAM-based measures. This sometimes occurs given external pressures (e.g., applied by superintendents) to artificially conflate, in this case, levels of agreement between indicators (i.e., convergent validity).

Related, in the section Braun titles his “Trio of Tensions,” (p. 129) he notes that (1) [B]oth accountability and improvement are undermined, as attested to by a number of the articles in this issue. In the current political and economic climate, [if possible] it will take thoughtful and inspiring leadership at the state and district levels to create contexts in which an educator evaluation system constructively fulfills its roles with respect to both public accountability and school improvement” (p. 129-130); (2) [T]he chasm between the technical sophistication of the various VAM[s] and the ability of educators to appreciate what these models are attempting to accomplish…sow[s] further confusion…[hence]…there must be ongoing efforts to convey to various audiences the essential issues—even in the face of principled disagreements among experts on the appropriate roles(s) for VAM[s] in educator evaluations” (p. 130); and finally (3) [H]ow to balance the rights of students to an adequate education and the rights of teachers to fair evaluations and due process [especially for]…teachers who have value-added scores and those who teach in subject-grade combinations for which value-added scores are not feasible…[must be addressed; this] comparability issue…has not been addressed but [it] will likely [continue to] rear its [ugly] head” (p. 130).

In the end, Braun argues for another “Trio,” but this one including three final lessons: (1) “although the concerns regarding the technical properties of VAM scores are not misplaced, they are not necessarily central to their reputation among teachers and principals. [What is central is]…their links to tests of dubious quality, their opaqueness in an atmosphere marked by (mutual) distrust, and the apparent lack of actionable information that are largely responsible for their poor reception” (p. 130); (2) there is a “very substantial, multiyear effort required for proper implementation of a new evaluation system…[related, observational] ratings are not a panacea. They, too, suffer from technical deficiencies and are the object of concern among some teachers because of worries about bias” (p. 130); and (3) “legislators and policymakers should move toward a more ecological approach [emphasis added; see also the Review of Article (Essay) #6 – on VAMs as tools for “egg-crate” schools here] to the design of accountability systems; that is, “one that takes into account the educational and political context for evaluation, the behavioral responses and other dynamics that are set in motion when a new regime of high-stakes accountability is instituted, and the long-term consequences of operating the system” (p. 130).

*****

If interested, see the Review of Article #1 – the introduction to the special issue here; see the Review of Article #2 – on VAMs’ measurement errors, issues with retroactive revisions, and (more) problems with using standardized tests in VAMs here; see the Review of Article #3 – on VAMs’ potentials here; see the Review of Article #4 – on observational systems’ potentials here; see the Review of Article #5 – on teachers’ perceptions of observations and student growth here; and see the Review of Article (Essay) #6 – on VAMs as tools for “egg-crate” schools here.

Article #7 Reference: Braun, H. (2015). The value in value-added depends on the ecology. Educational Researcher, 44(2), 127-131. doi:10.3102/0013189X15576341

Victory in Court: Consequences Attached to VAMs Suspended Throughout New Mexico

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Great news for New Mexico and New Mexico’s approximately 23,000 teachers, and great news for states and teachers potentially elsewhere, in terms of setting precedent!

Late yesterday, state District Judge David K. Thomson, who presided over the ongoing teacher-evaluation lawsuit in New Mexico, granted a preliminary injunction preventing consequences from being attached to the state’s teacher evaluation data. More specifically, Judge Thomson ruled that the state can proceed with “developing” and “improving” its teacher evaluation system, but the state is not to make any consequential decisions about New Mexico’s teachers using the data the state collects until the state (and/or others external to the state) can evidence to the court during another trial (set for now, for April) that the system is reliable, valid, fair, uniform, and the like.

As you all likely recall, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF), last year, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” Plaintiffs charged that the state’s teacher evaluation system, imposed on the state in 2012 by the state’s current Public Education Department (PED) Secretary Hanna Skandera (with value-added counting for 50% of teachers’ evaluation scores), is unfair, error-ridden, spurious, harming teachers, and depriving students of high-quality educators, among other claims (see the actual lawsuit here).

Thereafter, one scheduled day of testimonies turned into five in Santa Fe, that ran from the end of September through the beginning of October (each of which I covered here, here, here, here, and here). I served as the expert witness for the plaintiff’s side, along with other witnesses including lawmakers (e.g., a state senator) and educators (e.g., teachers, superintendents) who made various (and very articulate) claims about the state’s teacher evaluation system on the stand. Thomas Kane served as the expert witness for the defendant’s side, along with other witnesses including lawmakers and educators who made counter claims about the system, some of which backfired, unfortunately for the defense, primarily during cross-examination.

See articles released about this ruling this morning in the Santa Fe New Mexican (“Judge suspends penalties linked to state’s teacher eval system”) and the Albuquerque Journal (“Judge curbs PED teacher evaluations).” See also the AFT’s press release, written by AFT President Randi Weingarten, here. Click here for the full 77-page Order written by Judge Thomson (see also, below, five highlights I pulled from this Order).

The journalist of the Santa Fe New Mexican, though, provided the most detailed information about Judge Thomson’s Order, writing, for example, that the “ruling by state District Judge David Thomson focused primarily on the complicated combination of student test scores used to judge teachers. The ruling [therefore] prevents the Public Education Department [PED] from denying teachers licensure advancement or renewal, and it strikes down a requirement that poorly performing teachers be placed on growth plans.” In addition, the Judge noted that “the teacher evaluation system varies from district to district, which goes against a state law calling for a consistent evaluation plan for all educators.”

The PED continues to stand by its teacher evaluation system, calling the court challenge “frivolous” and “a legal PR stunt,” all the while noting that Judge Thomson’s decision “won’t affect how the state conducts its teacher evaluations.” Indeed it will, for now and until the state’s teacher evaluation system is vetted, and validated, and “the court” is “assured” that the system can actually be used to take the “consequential actions” against teachers, “required” by the state’s PED.

Here are some other highlights that I took directly from Judge Thomson’s ruling, capturing what I viewed as his major areas of concern about the state’s system (click here, again, to read Judge Thomson’s full Order):

  • Validation Needed: “The American Statistical Association says ‘estimates from VAM should always be accompanied by measures of precision and a discussion of the assumptions and possible limitations of the model. These limitations are particularly relevant if VAM are used for high stake[s] purposes” (p. 1). These are the measures, assumptions, limitations, and the like that are to be made transparent in this state.
  • Uniformity Required: “New Mexico’s evaluation system is less like a [sound] model than a cafeteria-style evaluation system where the combination of factors, data, and elements are not easily determined and the variance from school district to school district creates conflicts with the [state] statutory mandate” (p. 2)…with the existing statutory framework for teacher evaluations for licensure purposes requiring “that the teacher be evaluated for ‘competency’ against a ‘highly objective uniform statewide standard of evaluation’ to be developed by PED” (p. 4). “It is the term ‘highly objective uniform’ that is the subject matter of this suit” (p. 4), whereby the state and no other “party provided [or could provide] the Court a total calculation of the number of available district-specific plans possible given all the variables” (p. 54). See also the Judge’s points #78-#80 (starting on page 70) for some of the factors that helped to “establish a clear lack of statewide uniformity among teachers” (p. 70).
  • Transparency Missing: “The problem is that it is not easy to pull back the curtain, and the inner workings of the model are not easily understood, translated or made accessible” (p. 2). “Teachers do not find the information transparent or accurate” and “there is no evidence or citation that enables a teacher to verify the data that is the content of their evaluation” (p. 42). In addition, “[g]iven the model’s infancy, there are no real studies to explain or define the [s]tate’s value-added system…[hence, the consequences and decisions]…that are to be made using such system data should be examined and validated prior to making such decisions” (p. 12).
  • Consequences Halted: “Most significant to this Order, [VAMs], in this [s]tate and others, are being used to make consequential decisions…This is where the rubber hits the road [as per]…teacher employment impacts. It is also where, for purposes of this proceeding, the PED departs from the statutory mandate of uniformity requiring an injunction” (p. 9). In addition, it should be noted that indeed “[t]here are adverse consequences to teachers short of termination” (p. 33) including, for example, “a finding of ‘minimally effective’ [that] has an impact on teacher licenses” (p. 41). These, too, are to be halted under this injunction Order.
  • Clarification Required: “[H]ere is what this [O]rder is not: This [O]rder does not stop the PED’s operation, development and improvement of the VAM in this [s]tate, it simply restrains the PED’s ability to take consequential actions…until a trial on the merits is held” (p. 2). In addition, “[a] preliminary injunction differs from a permanent injunction, as does the factors for its issuance…’ The objective of the preliminary injunction is to preserve the status quo [minus the consequences] pending the litigation of the merits. This is quite different from finally determining the cause itself” (p. 74). Hence, “[t]he court is simply enjoining the portion of the evaluation system that has adverse consequences on teachers” (p. 75).

The PED also argued that “an injunction would hurt students because it could leave in place bad teachers.” As per Judge Thomson, “That is also a faulty argument. There is no evidence that temporarily halting consequences due to the errors outlined in this lengthy Opinion more likely results in retention of bad teachers than in the firing of good teachers” (p. 75).

Finally, given my involvement in this lawsuit and given the team with whom I was/am still so fortunate to work (see picture below), including all of those who testified as part of the team and whose testimonies clearly proved critical in Judge Thomson’s final Order, I want to thank everyone for all of their time, energy, and efforts in this case, thus far, on behalf of the educators attempting to (still) do what they love to do — teach and serve students in New Mexico’s public schools.

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Left to right: (1) Stephanie Ly, President of AFT New Mexico; (2) Dan McNeil, AFT Legal Department; (3) Ellen Bernstein, ATF President; (4) Shane Youtz, Attorney at Law; and (5) me 😉

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway

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You might recall, from a post last March, that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” Plaintiffs are more specifically charging that the state’s current teacher evaluation system is unfair, error-ridden, harming teachers, and depriving students of high-quality educators (see the actual lawsuit here).

Well, testimonies started yesterday in Santa Fe, and as one of the expert witnesses on the plaintiffs’ side, I was there to witness the first day of examinations. While I will not comment on my impressions at this point, because I will be testifying this Monday and would like to save all of my comments until I’m on the stand, I will say it was quite an interesting day indeed, for both sides.

What I do feel comfortable sharing at this point, though, is an article that The New Mexican reporter Robert Nott wrote, as he too attended the full day in court. His article, essentially about the state of New Mexico “Getting it Right,” captures the gist of the day. I say this duly noting that only witnesses on the plaintiffs’ side were examined, and also cross-examined yesterday. Plaintiffs’ witnesses will continue this Monday, and defendants’ witnesses will continue thereafter, also this Monday, and likely one more day to be scheduled thereafter.

But as for the highlights, as per Nott’s article:

  • “Joel Boyd, [a highly respected] superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools, testified that ‘glaring errors’ have marred the state’s ratings of teachers in his district.” He testified that “We should pause and get it right,” also testifying that “the state agency has not proven itself capable of identifying either effective or ineffective teachers.” Last year when Boyd challenged his district’s 1,000 or so teachers’ rankings, New Mexico’s Public Education Department (PED) “ultimately yielded and increased numerous individual teacher rankings…[which caused]..the district’s overall rating [to improve] by 17 percentage points.”
  • State Senator Bill Soules, who is also a recently retired teacher, testified that “his last evaluation included data from 18 students he did not teach. ‘Who are those 18 students who I am being evaluated on?’ he asked the judge.”
  • One of the defendant’s attorneys later defended the state’s data, stating “education department records show that there were only 712 queries from districts regarding the accuracy of teacher evaluation results in 2014-15. Of those, the state changed just 31 ratings after reviewing challenges.” State Senator Soules responded, however, that “a [i.e., one] query may include many teachers.” For example, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) purportedly put in one single query that included “hundreds, if not thousands” of questions about that district’s set of teacher evaluations.

In fact, most if not all of the witnesses who testified not only argued, but evidenced, how the state used flawed data in their personal, or their schools’/districts’ teachers’ general evaluations, leading to incorrect results.

Plaintiffs and their witnessed also argued, and evidenced, that “the system does not judge teachers by the same standards. Language arts teachers, as well as educators working in subjects without standardized tests, are rated by different measures than those teaching the core subjects of math, science and English.” This, as both the plaintiff’s witnesses and lawyers also argued, makes this an arbitrary and capricious system, or rather one that is not “objective” as per the state’s legislative requirements.

In the words of Shane Youtz, one of two of the plaintiff’s attorneys, “You have a system that is messed up…Frankly, the PED doesn’t know what it is doing with the data and the formula, and they are just changing things ad hoc.”

“Attorneys for the Public Education Department countered that, although no evaluation system is perfect, this one holds its educators to a high standard and follows national trends in utilizing student test scores when possible.”

Do stay tuned….

NY Teacher Lederman’s Day in Court

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Do you recall the case of Sheri Lederman? The Long Island teacher who, apparently by all accounts other than her composite growth (or value-added) score is a terrific 4th grade/18 year veteran teacher, who received a score of 1 out of 20 after she scored a 14 out of 20 the year prior (see prior posts here, here and here; see also here and here)?

With her husband, attorney Bruce Lederman leading her case, she is suing the state of New York (the state in which Governor Cuomo is pushing to now have teachers’ value-added scores count for approximately 50% of their total evaluations) to challenge the state’s teacher evaluation system. She is also being fully supported by her students, her principal, her superintendent, and a series of VAM experts including: Linda Darling-Hammond (Stanford), Aaron Pallas (Columbia University Teachers College), Carol Burris (Educator and Principal of the Year from New York), Brad Lindell (Long Island Research Consultant), and me (Arizona State University) (see their/our expert witness affidavits here). See also an affidavit more recently submitted by Jesse Rothstein (Berkeley) here, as well as the full document explaining the entire case – the Memorandum of Law – here.

Well, the Ledermans had their day in court this past Wednesday (August 12, 2015).

It was apparent in the hearing that the Judge carefully read all the papers prior, and he was fully familiar with the issues. As per Bruce Lederman, “[t]he issue that seemed to catch the Judge’s attention the most was whether it was rational to have a system which decides in advance that 7% of teachers will be ineffective, regardless of actual results. The Judge asked numerous questions about whether it was fair to use a bell curve,” whereby when using a bell curve to distribute teachers’ growth or value-added scores, there will always be a set of “ineffective” teachers, regardless of whether in face they are truly “ineffective.” This occurs not naturally but by the statistical manipulation needed to fit all scores within the normal distribution needed to spread out the scores in order to make relative distinctions and categorizations (e.g., highly effective, effective, ineffective), the validity of which are highly uncertain (see, for example, a prior post here). Hence, “[t]he Judge pressed the lawyer representing New York’s Education Department very hard on this particular issue,” but the state’s lawyer did not (most likely because she could not) give the Judge a satisfactory explanation, justification, or rationale.

For more information on the case, see here the video that I feel best captures the case, thanks to CBS news in Albany. For another video see here, compliments of NBC news in Albany. See also two additional articles, here and here, with the latter including the photo of Sheri and Bruce Lederman pasted below.

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EVAAS, Value-Added, and Teacher Branding

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I do not think I ever shared this video out, and now following up on another post, about the potential impact these videos should really have, I thought now is an appropriate time to share. “We can be the change,” and social media can help.

My former doctoral student and I put together this video, after conducting a study with teachers in the Houston Independent School District and more specifically four teachers whose contracts were not renewed due in large part to their EVAAS scores in the summer of 2011. This video (which is really a cartoon, although it certainly lacks humor) is about them, but also about what is happening in general in their schools, post the adoption and implementation (at approximately $500,000/year) of the SAS EVAAS value-added system.

To read the full study from which this video was created, click here. Below is the abstract.

The SAS Educational Value-Added Assessment System (SAS® EVAAS®) is the most widely used value-added system in the country. It is also self-proclaimed as “the most robust and reliable” system available, with its greatest benefit to help educators improve their teaching practices. This study critically examined the effects of SAS® EVAAS® as experienced by teachers, in one of the largest, high-needs urban school districts in the nation – the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Using a multiple methods approach, this study critically analyzed retrospective quantitative and qualitative data to better comprehend and understand the evidence collected from four teachers whose contracts were not renewed in the summer of 2011, in part given their low SAS® EVAAS® scores. This study also suggests some intended and unintended effects that seem to be occurring as a result of SAS® EVAAS® implementation in HISD. In addition to issues with reliability, bias, teacher attribution, and validity, high-stakes use of SAS® EVAAS® in this district seems to be exacerbating unintended effects.

The Multiple Teacher Evaluation System(s) in New Mexico, from a Concerned New Mexico Parent

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A “concerned New Mexico parent” who wrote a prior post for this blog here, wrote another for you all below, about the sheer numbers of different teacher evaluation systems, or variations, now in place in his/her state of New Mexico. (S)he writes:

Readers of this blog are well aware of the limitations of VAMs for evaluating teachers. However, many readers may not be aware that there are actually many system variations used to evaluate teachers. In the state of New Mexico, for example, 217 different variations are used to evaluate the many and diverse types of teachers teaching in the state [and likely all other states].

But. Is there any evidence that they are valid? NO. Is there any evidence that they are equivalent? NO. Is there any evidence that this is fair? NO.

The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) provides a framework for teacher evaluations, and the final teacher evaluation should be weighted as follows: Improved Student Achievement (50%), Teacher Observations (25%), and Multiple Measures (25%).

Every school district in New Mexico is required to submit a detailed evaluation plan of specifically what measures will be used to satisfy the overall NMPED 50-25-25 percentage framework, after which NMPED approves all plans.

The exact details of any district’s educator effectiveness plan can be found on the NMTEACH website, as every public and charter school plan is posted here.

There are massive differences between how groups of teachers are graded between districts, however, which distorts most everything about the system(s), including the extent to which similar (and different) teachers might be similarly (and fairly) evaluated and assessed.

Even within districts, there are massive differences in how grade level (elementary, middle, high school) teachers are evaluated.

And, even something as seemingly simple as evaluating K-2 teachers requires 42 different variations in scoring.

Table 1 below shows the number of different scales used to calculate teacher effectiveness for each group of teachers and each grade level, for example, at the state level.

New Mexico divides all teachers into three categories — group A teachers have scores based on the statewide test (mathematics, English/language arts (ELA)), group B teachers (e.g. music or history) do not have a corresponding statewide test, and group C teachers teach grades K-2. Table 1 shows the number of scales used by New Mexico school districts for each teacher group. It is further broken down by grade-level. For example, as illustrated, there are 42 different scales used to evaluate Elementary-level Group A teachers in New Mexico. The column marked “Unique (one-offs)” indicates the number of scales that are completely unique for a given teacher group and grade-level. For example, as illustrated, there are 11 unique scales used to grade Group B High School teachers, and for each of these eleven scales, only one district, one grade-level, and one teacher group is evaluated within the entire state.

Based on the size of the school district, a unique scale may be grading as few as a dozen teachers! In addition, there are 217 scales used statewide, with 99 of these scales being unique (by teacher)!

Table 1: New Mexico Teacher Evaluation System(s)

Group Grade Scales Used Unique (one-offs)
Group A (SBA-based) All 58 15
(e.g. 5th grade English teacher) Elem 42 10
MS 37 2
HS 37 3
Group B (non-SBA) All 117 56
(e.g. Elem music teacher) Elem 67 37
MS 62 8
HS 61 11
Group C (grades K-2) All 42 28
Elem 42 28
TOTAL   217 variants 99 one-offs

The table above highlights the spectacular absurdity of the New Mexico Teacher Evaluation System.

(The complete listings of all variants for the three groups are contained here (in Table A for Group A), here (in Table B for Group B), and here (in Table C for Group C). The abbreviations and notes for these tables are listed here (in Table D).

By approving all of these different formulas, all things considered, NMPED is also making the following nonsensical claims..

NMPED Claim: The prototype 50-25-25 percentage split has some validity.

There is no evidence to support this division between student achievement measures, observation, and multiple measures at all. It simply represents what NMPED could politically “get away with” in terms of a formula. Why not 60-20-20 or 57-23-20 or 46-18-36, etcetera? The NMPED prototype scale has no proven validity, whatsoever.

NMPED Claim: All 217 formulas are equivalent to evaluate teachers.

This claim by NMPED is absurd on its face and every other part of its… Is there any evidence that they have cross-validated the tests? There is no evidence that any of these scales are valid or accurate measures of “teacher effectiveness.” Also, there is no evidence whatsoever that they are equivalent.

Further, if the formulas are equivalent (as NMPED claims), why is New Mexico wasting money on technology for administering SBA tests or End-of-Course exams? Why not use an NMPED-approved formula that includes tests like Discovery, MAPS, DIBELS, or Star that are already being used?

NMPED Claim: Teacher Attendance and Student Surveys are interchangeable.

According to the approved plans, many districts assign 10% to Teacher Attendance while other districts assign 10% to Student Surveys. Both variants have been approved by NMPED.

Mathematically, (i.e., in terms of the proportions either is to be allotted) they appear to be interchangeable. If that is so, why is NMPED also specifically trying to enforce Teacher Attendance as an element of the evaluation scale? Why did Hanna Skandera proclaim to the press that this measure improved New Mexico education? (For typical news coverage, on this topic, for example, see here).

The use of teacher attendance appears to be motivated by union-busting rather than any mathematical rationale.

NMPED Claim: All observation methods are equivalent.

NMPED allows for three very different observation methods to be used for 40% of the final score. Each method is somewhat complicated and involves different observers.

There is no indication that NMPED has evaluated the reliability or validity of these three very different observation methods, or tested their results for equivalence. They simply assert that they are equivalent.

NMPED Claim: These formulas will be used to rate teachers.

These formulas are the worst kind of statistical jiggery-pokery (to use a newly current phrase). NMPED presents a seemingly rational, scientific number to the public using invalid and unvalidated mathematical manipulations and then determines teachers’ careers based on the completely bogus New Mexico teacher evaluation system(s).

Conclusion: Not only is the emperor naked, he has a closet containing 217 equivalent outfits at home!

Splits, Rotations, and Other Consequences of Teaching in a High-Stakes Environment in an Urban School

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An Arizona teacher who teaches in a very urban, high-needs schools writes about the realities of teaching in her school, under the pressures that come along with high-stakes accountability and a teacher workforce working under an administration, both of which are operating in chaos. This is a must read, as she also talks about two unintended consequences of educational reform in her school about which I’ve never heard before: splits and rotations. Both seem to occur at all costs simply to stay afloat during “rough” times, but both also likely have deleterious effects on students in such schools, as well as teachers being held accountable for the students “they” teach.

She writes:

Last academic year (2012-2013) a new system for evaluating teachers was introduced into my school district. And it was rough. Teachers were dropping like flies. Some were stressed to the point of requiring medical leave. Others were labeled ineffective based on a couple classroom observations and were asked to leave. By mid-year, the school was down five teachers. And there were a handful of others who felt it was just a matter of time before they were labeled ineffective and asked to leave, too.

The situation became even worse when the long-term substitutes who had been brought in to cover those teacher-less classrooms began to leave also. Those students with no contracted teacher and no substitute began getting “split”. “Splitting” is what the administration of a school does in a desperate effort to put kids somewhere. And where the students go doesn’t seem to matter. A class roster is printed, and the first five students on the roster go to teacher A. The second five students go to teacher B, and so on. Grade-level isn’t even much of a consideration. Fourth graders get split to fifth grade classrooms. Sixth graders get split to 5th and 7th grade classrooms. And yes, even 7th and 8th graders get split to 5th grade classrooms. Was it difficult to have another five students in my class? Yes. Was it made more difficult that they weren’t even of the same grade level I was teaching? Yes. This went on for weeks…

And then the situation became even worse. As it became more apparent that the revolving door of long-term substitutes was out of control, the administration began “The Rotation.” “The Rotation” was a plan that used the contracted teachers (who remained!) as substitutes in those teacher-less classrooms. And so once or twice a week, I (and others) would get an email from the administration alerting me that it was my turn to substitute during prep time. Was it difficult to sacrifice 20-40 % of weekly prep time (that is used to do essential work like plan lessons, gather materials, grade, call parents, etc…) Yes. Was it difficult to teach in a classroom that had a different teacher, literally, every hour without coordinated lessons? Yes.

Despite this absurd scenario, in October 2013, I received a letter from my school district indicating how I fared in this inaugural year of the teacher evaluation system. It wasn’t good. Fifty percent of my performance label was based on school test scores (not on the test scores of my homeroom students). How well can students perform on tests when they don’t have a consistent teacher?

So when I think about accountability, I wonder now what it is I was actually held accountable for? An ailing, urban school? An ineffective leadership team who couldn’t keep a workforce together? Or was I just held accountable for not walking away from a no-win situation?

Coincidentally, this 2013-2014 academic year has, in many ways, mirrored the 2012-2013. The upside is that this year, only 10% of my evaluation is based on school-wide test scores (the other 40% will be my homeroom students’ test scores). This year, I have a fighting chance to receive a good label. One more year of an unfavorable performance label and the district will have to, by law, do something about me. Ironically, if it comes to that point, the district can replace me with a long-term substitute, who is not subject to the same evaluation system that I am. Moreover, that long-term substitute doesn’t have to hold a teaching certificate. Further, that long-term substitute will cost the district a lot less money in benefits (i.e. healthcare, retirement system contributions).

I should probably start looking for a job—maybe as a long-term substitute.

Out with the Old, In with the New: Proposed Ohio Budget Bill to Revise the Teacher Evaluation System (Again)

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Here is another post from VAMboozled!’s new team member – Noelle Paufler, Ph.D. – on Ohio’s “new and improved” teacher evaluation system, redesigned three years out from Ohio’s last attempt.

The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) can hardly be considered “old” in its third year of implementation, and yet Ohio Budget Bill (HB64) proposes new changes to the system for the 2015-2016 school year. In a recent blog post, Plunderbund (aka Greg Mild) highlights the latest revisions to the OTES as proposed in HB64. (This post is also featured here on Diane Ravitch’s blog.)

Plunderbund outlines several key concerns with the budget bill including:

  • Student Learning Objectives (SLOs): In place of SLOs, teachers who are assigned to grade levels, courses, or subjects for which value-added scores are unavailable (i.e., via state standardized tests or vendor assessments approved by the Ohio Department of Education [ODE]) are to be evaluated “using a method of attributing student growth,” per HB64, Section 3319.111 (B) (2).
  • Attributed Student Growth: The value-added results of an entire school or district are to be attributed to teachers who otherwise do not have individual value-added scores for evaluation purposes. In this scenario, teachers are to be evaluated based upon the performance of students they may not have met in subject areas they do not directly teach.
  • Timeline: If enacted, the budget bill does will require the ODE to finalize the revised evaluation framework until October 31, 2015. Although the OTES has just now been fully implemented in most districts across the state, school boards would need to quickly revise teacher evaluation processes, forms, and software to comply with the new requirements well after the school year is already underway.

As Plunderbund notes, these newly proposed changes resurrect a series of long-standing questions of validity and credibility with regards to OTES. The proposed use of “attributed student growth” to evaluate teachers who are assigned to non-tested grade levels or subject areas has and should raise concerns among all teachers. This proposal presumes that an essentially two-tiered evaluation system can validly measure the effectiveness of some teachers based on presumably proximal outcomes (their individual students’ scores on state or approved vendor assessments) and others based on distal outcomes (at best) using attributed student growth. While the dust has scarcely settled with regards to OTES implementation, Plunderbund compellingly argues that this new wave of proposed changes would result in more confusion, frustration, and chaos among teachers and disruptions to student learning.

To learn more, read Plunderbund’s full critique of the proposed changes, again, click here.