Developing and Implementing Value-Added Models for Schools and Classrooms

May 7, 2013

When the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) decided to use value added models in its multiple measures kit, the district contacted WCER's Value-Added Research Center (VARC) and technical/methodological experts from around the country. With local teaching and learning experts and other community stakeholders, LAUSD considered issues of concern and put their work into context with other national models. Criteria and thresholds were developed for reliability, stability over time, predictive power, explained variance, and teacher and student coverage. Implementation challenges included plans for grades and subjects that either did not meet the threshold or would be included in future phases. Communication strategies addressed informing and educating the broader community in how to interpret results. More information is available here.