Value-Added Measurement in Legal Contexts: Subject Positions, Rights, and Responsibilities

• In Event: 43.077 - MTCC Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 43.077-6 - Teacher Effectiveness and Teacher Accountability

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in legal challenges in using value-added measurement (VAM) in high-stakes teacher evaluation systems. Multiple legal challenges to systems that use VAM have created opportunities for the courts to decide what constitutes appropriate uses of VAM. We use discourse analytic methods informed by Positioning Theory (Davies & Harré, 1990) to examine a range of documents from a lawsuit in Tennessee to understand whether and how certain stakeholders bear responsibility for overseeing responsible use of VAM as an evaluation tool. Findings suggest overlapping and misplaced assumptions related to rights and responsibilities among stakeholders. Implications for the design of public policies that require contracts with outside for-profit entities are discussed.

Authors

• Rachael Gabriel, University of Connecticut

• Tray Geiger, Arizona State University