The Effect of Rigorous Assessment on Student Outcomes in a High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation Context

• In Event: Assessment Policy and Practice: Examining the (Unintended) Consequences

Abstract

Most U.S. public schools are now aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Effective teaching under the CCSS, however, may differ from previously-accepted practice. Studies of Washington DC public schools (DCPS) before the adoption of a CCSS-aligned assessment showed that DCPS’s teacher evaluation system incentivized teachers to meaningfully alter their practice and improve student outcomes. Yet, it may be more difficult for teachers at certain points on the performance distribution to move student outcomes when teaching to more-rigorous standards and assessments. This study uses a differences-in-discontinuities approach to estimate differences in effects on student outcomes for teachers incentivized to improve across assessment contexts in DCPS’s high-stakes system. Results indicate differential effects across outcomes and the teaching performance distribution.

Author

• Jessalynn James, University of Virginia