by Michael Bloom
VALUE-ADDED PROGRESS BECOMES part of the accountability system this year in many states. For example, all Ohio schools have received Value-Added Reports in reading and math in grades 4-8 in August 2008. Ohio schools will receive a toolkit and DVD that will help educators, families and others learn more about this system and how it can improve student progress and achievement.
This year, the Local Report Card (LRC) will include the composite school rating. Within the report card you can access the value-added rating by subject and grade level.
For those familiar with Value-Added Analysis, schools and teachers will have access to the average of the previous year(s) of data for a maximum of three years. This information can be found in the School Diagnostic Report and the School Performance Diagnostic Report.
Progress and Achievement
For those of you that may be new to Value-Added Analysis I’ll describe a short overview of the power of two: Progress and Achievement.
Progress and Achievement provide a partial picture because they give in-formation on what a child has learned from birth. Such measures can often be insufficient and invalid in the long term. However, if we want to improve schools, we need a metric that provides reliable feedback on the work that schools produce. Therefore, we need progress which measures the school’s influence on the academic growth of its students is critical.
Value-Added Analysis is a statistical method used to measure a school’s effect on students’ rates of academic progress from year to year. Using this growth metric, districts and schools are able to obtain valuable diagnostic information to begin interpreting the impact of their curricula, instruction, programs and practices on student achievement. It can also help project students’ future academic performance. Through this information, educators can provide the appropriate intervention, enrichment, or modification to maximize student growth.
Helpful Aids
There are several reports that are produced as a result of comparing test scores from year to year. These include:
a Summary Report on all the schools within a district, School Diagnostic, Performance Diagnostic, Student Report, Student Projection, and Student Search Report.
These reports reflect:
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The students’ progress made in each subject area and grade level.
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The progress students made who enter the year at different achievement levels.
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How students’ progress in one curricular area or program compares to their progress in another.
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Whether individual students are making adequate progress toward state standards.
Plan for Improvement
After reviewing the reports it is important to strategically plan for added school improvement. Teachers should be taken through a planning process that asks questions pertaining to instruction, assessment, and curriculum.
PSI's educational consultants can effectively implement Value-Added Analysis in your school. Educators can learn more about Value-Added Analysis by attending the regional training offered through Battelle for Kids, RVAS Consultants or District DVAS representatives. The Value-Added model is an excellent re- source for all administrators and teachers. 
Michael Bloom, a Regional Value-Added Specialist, is an educational consultant for PSI. Contact him at michaelbloom@psi-solutions.org.