Value-added models estimating teacher and school contributions to student achievement in Pittsburgh Public Schools¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Value-added models developed by Mathematica for Pittsburgh Public Schools, commissioned by the district and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. The article states the models "aim to estimate the contributions of individual teachers and schools to the achievement of their students," and that the report summarizes the district's current use of these models to assess educational quality, updating a 2014 report.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Developed at the request of Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, indicating district and union sponsorship of the modeling effort
• District administrative achievement data for students linked to individual teachers and schools, as implied by the models' purpose of estimating contributions to student achievement

Constraints¶

• The article describes the models' aim to estimate contributions to student achievement; it prints no effect sizes, model specifications, or validity findings on this page
• Developed for and applied specifically to Pittsburgh Public Schools; the report covers the 2012-13 school year and updates a 2012 report

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in Pittsburgh Public Schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Student achievement growth attributable to individual teachers and schools

Claims¶

• Pittsburgh Public Schools used value-added models to assess educational quality as of the 2014-15 school year [+W]
• Professional practice ratings, student surveys, and value-added measures each have the potential to differentiate teacher performance in Pittsburgh Public Schools [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Value-Added Assessment System for DC Schools and Teachers (2009–2015 project context)
• Mathematica's value-added analysis approach for Oklahoma's Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System
• Pittsburgh performance-based pay plans for teachers and principals
• Teacher-level value-added model adaptation for identifying high-performing teachers in Memphis
• BRIDGE teacher and principal evaluation value-added models
• Pittsburgh Public Schools value-added models using multiple outcome measures

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Naihobe Gonzalez, Matthew Johnson, Brian Gill. (2016). Value-Added Models for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, 2014-15 School Year. Oakland, CA: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/valueadded-models-for-the-pittsburgh-public-schools-201415-school-year
• Dana Rotz, Matthew Johnson, Brian Gill. (2014). Value-Added Models for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, 2012-13 School Year. Cambridge, MA: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/value-added-models-for-the-pittsburgh