Value-Added Indicators

Elizabeth H. DeBray

The concept of value-added indicators of educational performance rests on the assumption that schools add value to the achievement of their pupils. Value-added indicators would measure or approximate the contribution of a school to its students' learning and achievement. Though the concept originated in the field of economics, it has been widely used in the school effectiveness literature in educational research. Value-added indicators of school effectiveness evaluate growth or progress with a given group of students on cognitive outcomes, usually reading or mathematics, during a specified time period. Therefore, panel or longitudinal data on individual students are used in their statistical derivation. Unlike average student test scores, which often cannot reveal whether a given school is serving its students effectively, value-added indicators capture the difference between a school's actual and expected performance or growth on specific outcome measures. The indicators attempt to measure school performance or the effect of school ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.