The lower a test's score ceiling, the more teacher value-added estimates shrink toward the average teacher, because ceiling scores contain imprecise information about achievement¶
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Evidence · 1 study · associationalr?·q2
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2017: tool and model accuracy changes quickly
Subclaims¶
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q2 i? Value-added estimates shrink toward the average teacher as the test score ceiling gets lower, because test scores at the ceiling contain imprecise information about students' achievement. → Alexandra Resch 2014
Evidence¶
Alexandra Resch 2014¶
Alexandra Resch, Eric Isenberg. (2014). How Do Test Scores at the Floor and Ceiling Affect Value-Added Estimates? Working Paper 33. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/how-do-test-scores-at-the-floor-and-ceiling-affect-value-added-estimates
q2 · i? · associational · r?
Analysis of data from a large urban district shows a monotonic pattern: "the lower the ceiling, the more the value-added estimates tend to shrink toward the average teacher," attributed to imprecise information in ceiling scores.
"the lower the ceiling, the more the value-added estimates tend to shrink toward the average teacher, because test scores at the ceiling contain imprecise information about students' achievement"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Some educators are concerned that students scoring at the bottom or top of a test's score distribution will negatively affect the value-added estimates of those students' teachers — related
- Test scores at the floor of a test's score scale contain real information about students' performance, so floor scores do not distort teacher value-added estimates — related
- Multiple-choice state tests are prone to ceiling and floor effects and do not measure higher-order skills well — a broader claim this one bears on
- The paper clarifies confusion about the use of value-added information in teacher evaluation — a broader claim this one bears on
- Multiple sources of student information can be accumulated to estimate teacher effectiveness — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
lower-ceilings-shrink-value-added-toward-average |
title |
The lower a test's score ceiling, the more teacher value-added estimates shrink toward the average teacher, because ceiling scores contain imprecise information about achievement |
description |
The lower a test's score ceiling, the more teacher value-added estimates shrink toward the average teacher, because ceiling scores contain imprecise information about achievement |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
recheck_by |
2017 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-08 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — alexandra-resch-2014 |
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