Audrey Amrein-Beardsley is one of the nation’s leading experts on value-added assessment. She is also one of its most prominent critics. In her blog VAMboozled, she follows the ongoing damage done by VAM to teachers and schools across the nation.
In this post, she draws attention to the findings of one of her graduate students, Jessica Holloway-Libell, who studied the use of VAM in Tennessee. Tennessee has employed a VAM model since the early 1990s based on the work of agricultural statistician William Sanders. Jessica’s study has been published in the peer-reviewed Teachers College Record.
Jessica found “Evidence of Grade and Subject-Level Bias in Value-Added Measures,” the title of her article.
Amrein-Beardsley writes:
More specifically, Jessica found that:
Teachers of students in 4th and 8th grades were much more likely to receive positive value-added scores than in other grades (e.g., 5th, 6th, and 7th grades); hence, that 4th and 8th teachers are generally better teachers in Tennessee using the TVAAS/EVAAS model.
Mathematics teachers (theoretically throughout Tennessee) are, overall, more effective than Tennessee’s English/language arts teachers, regardless of school district; hence, mathematics teachers are generally better than English/language arts teachers in Tennessee using the TVAAS/EVAAS model.
Are teachers of fourth and eighth grades better than all others; are math teachers better than English teachers?
Amrein-Beardsley concludes that these findings are additional evidence that Sanders’ VAM is inaccurate and biased towards certain grades and subjects.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
At least in Ohio, grades 3-8 received the first dose of testing mania with the OAA. It could be the same in Tennessee with a focus on testing.
Math is probably easier to “teach to the test” thereby abandoning true math instruction. For example, backfitting answers, elimination, and trial and error. Different from grammar or essay. To assume ELA teachers are inferior demonstrates the silliness of VAM.
VAM is a joke in practice. Giving Sanders any award for the VAM abomination is yet another emperor with no clothes.
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VAM is a joke in theory and in practice.
Fixed.
It’s based on the assumption that improvement in student standardized test scores implies “good teaching”.
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There are layers of bias and inaccuracy with VAM, since it is based on tests that are themselves far from perfect and very gameable.
I would say, though, that the wild inaccuracy and inherent unfairness virtually to the point of either insanity or inanity more than outweigh any specific biases.
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“Liars of Bias and Inaccuracy”
VAM is like an onion
It’s liars make you cry
It’s even worse than bunion
Believe it, that’s no lie
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Maybe it’s time to file a class action suit against Bill Gates, the creator of this nonsense. This arrogant opportunist should have to dig into his deep pockets and pay damages to every teacher harmed by VAM.
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“Courting Bill Gates”
If Gates were made to pay
For every teacher fired
He’d have a date each day
In court he would be mired
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Retired Teacher, The first use of value-added calculations with test scores came from economist Erick Hanushek, circa 1970s. To date he has over 500 publications on “Google Scholar.” He is one of the staunchest supporters of VAM and a frequent speaker on keeping that measure in place, including testimony in Congress. My point is that Gates is not at the center of the VAM SCAM You can learn more at Erick Hanushek, including his willingness to take credit for VAM at http://hanushek.stanford.edu/eah/narrative-biography#cv
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Let’s get a show of hands for those who have actually seen any VAM formula.
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“V = VAMspree^2”
VAM the teachers
VAM the fools
VAM the education schools
Value = VAMspree squared
Einstein for the ed impaired
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You can find examples on line, try Google images. I carry one published by the NY Times in my wallet.
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Florida’s inept formula is all over the web.
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Do you have a link?
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http://jacksonville.com/files/interactives/vam/
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Or from the Florida DOE: http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/performance-evaluation/
See the white paper link. It is the second link in the first paragraph.
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“Are teachers of fourth and eighth grades better than all others; are math teachers better than English teachers?”
GodVAMnit,NO!
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There should be federal regulations against using stupid formulas that affect children, their parents and their teachers.
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The observation regarding math vs ELA is interesting given that math scores in Tenn are up and ELA scores are actually going down. Difference? You can test prep math.
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Well, since we’re talking about VAM,
Here’s a talk I gave to the School Board of Palm Beach County, FL titled: VAM: The Scarlet Letter (from March, 2014):
https://youtu.be/dfMymU86Bjo
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Help…These folks are making some big claims. http://aspirepublicschools.org/. Have they been verified by anyone?
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“The VAMquisition”
William Sanders,
Cattlestician,
Leads the VAMmers
Inquisition
Probing with
His VAMming prod
Makes the teachers
Jump and nod
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“Stuperstician” also works
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E.D. Hirsch explains why it’s easier to boost math scores than ELA scores: ELA ability relies heavily on what kids learn about the world, slowly and cumulatively, OUTSIDE of ELA class –i.e. from parents’ telling them things; from watching movies; from travel, etc. This builds up their vocabulary, which is essential for reading comprehension. Whereas math is a subject that is learned almost entirely IN math class. ELA is a different ball of wax. Our poor ELA teachers simply cannot replicate the extracurricular experience and learning needed to score well on reading and writing tests. Sadly however, too many educators think reading and writing ability is a discrete package of teachable skills (e.g. using context clues) and not the fruit of accumulated knowledge –i.e. that is CAN be taught mostly in ELA class –and so they respond the tests’ challenge by trying to pound these skills into kids’ heads (and teach test taking tricks). The teachers themselves, following misguided literacy gurus like Kate Kinsella and Lucy Calkins, have a fundamentally flawed idea of what ELA proficiency requires. One result of this is that they cannot defend themselves against VAM: they cannot explain, as Hirsch does, that VAM for ELA is inherently unfair because of the unique nature of ELA. ELA teachers: read Hirsch and liberate your minds from the literacy gurus false ideas!
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Reading and writing abilities depend upon a lifetime of language acquisition. Every book that a child reads or has read to them. Every conversation. Every new word they heard. Every question they were asked or asked. Every vacation or museum visit, or opera concert they attended. No ELA teacher can compensate for language neglect. No ELA teacher can fill in the gaps with the mere 60 hours of time allotted. No test prep can match the time machine that is needed.
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