Putting Growth Models on the Map: A National Overview

• In Event: Measuring Growth: The Challenges, Possibilities, and Political Implications of Measuring Teacher Effectiveness

Abstract

The accountability movement recently shifted focus from the performance of students to those shown to largely impact their performance - the teachers. The landscape of teacher evaluations has been modified to include student achievement data. States are relying on statistical models to measure students’ growth. This paper presents results from data collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, providing a national overview of what each state is doing to measure teacher effectiveness. Data include type of growth models used, legislature behind each state’s reform efforts, strengths and weaknesses of models as described by state personnel, and assessments used for growth calculations. This paper provides the most inclusive, up-to-date, national growth model overview for practitioners’ and researchers’ use.

Authors

• Clarin Collins, Arizona State University

• Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University