Value-Added Assessment Home Page

The purpose of education is to provide students with as many opportunities as possible.  The Educational Value Added

Assessment System measures whether or not we’re providing an equitable educational opportunity for all students.

            –Dr. William Sanders

T-CAP (Teachers Connecting Achievement & Progress)

        Current value-added data across Ohio calculates a gain score in Reading and Mathematics in two main ways. First, a value-added

score is calculated for the building and secondly a value-added determination is made at the grade level by the subject (i.e. you get an

EVAAS calculation for 5th grade reading). A number of Olmsted Falls City Schools teachers have elected to take part in a pilot project

that will provide them with value-added data at the classroom level.  Beginning with this summer, these value-added pioneers will

receive classroom level data.  Click here for a sample TCAP report.

Links to Question and Answer Documents about Project SOAR and Value-Added Assessment

• Value-Added Handout at October OFEA Communications Meeting

• Q & A Document Generated by OFMS Teachers on December 4, 2007

• Value-Added Frequently Asked Questions Link from ODE

Why value-added assessment?

If you think about it, as educators we have little control over what happens before students get to school.  While we sometimes work

diligently to impact the home environment, this has been an area difficult to influence.  The Educational Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS)

uses data from the Ohio Achievement Test in order to measure the growth that groups of students make once they enter school and receive instruction.

While there is some diagnostic power in individual, value-added student data, the statistical model that it was founded on requires a group of

students (i.e. more than 5).

I heard that we are part of Project SOAR.  What's that?

It is an initiative sponsored by Battelle for Kids. Battelle is a non-profit organization that was the first to use the EVAAS model in Ohio. 

 Prior to the ODE using EVAAS as part of its accountability system, Battelle worked with districts willing to pay to join SOAR. 

SOAR districts then submitted their OAT data along with other achievement data and received EVAAS reports.

Why join SOAR?  What are the benefits?

SOAR provides additional value-added analysis that we would not have otherwise received from the ODE.  ODE's accountability

model is in alignment with NCLB.  NCLB focuses on reading and math and therefore they only provide data analysis in those

subjects.  By being part of SOAR, the district can get additional value-added  analysis in the areas of science and social studies as well. 

Will we need to test more?

Yes. At least 2 data points are required on a student in order to conduct a value-added analysis.  In order to gather value-added

data in 3rd grade we will need to administer assessments in 2nd grade.  In addition, in order to get value-added data in Science

and Social Studies we will need to administer an achievement test in these areas for the grade levels that do not have an

achievement test. Listed below is a table that illustrates the grade levels and the assessments that will be used in order to perform the EVAAS calculations.

Table--Grade Levels, Subject Areas & Assessments Administered for 2008-09 School Year to Yield Value-Added Data in OFCS

What are the differences between SOAR value-added data and ODE's model?

First you need to understand that both are based on the same statistical model developed by William Sanders. The SOAR model

is the one that the State of Tennessee uses for its growth calculations. There are some differences though. SOAR uses a prediction

model to conduct the value-added analysis whereas ODE uses what is called the Mean Gain approach.

Here's some more detail: 

SOAR Value-Added Model--Takes a look at a student's testing history and it makes a prediction on how the student will score

 in Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies. The SOAR model uses data from the other SOAR districts.  There are approximately

110 of these districts in the state. For example, a student's previous testing history  might suggest a predicted score of 435 on the

6th grade OAT. The student then enters 6th grade, receives a year's worth of instruction and then takes an OAT at the end of 6th grade.

The predicted score (what the value-added model thinks the student will get) is then compared to the observed score (what the

student actually got on the 6th grade Reading OAT).  Many of these calculations are performed on the entire grade level and the

data is then "fed" into the value-added assessment model that Sanders created and a grade level value-added score is produced.

ODE Value-Added Model--Also looks at a student's testing history, but only in Reading and Math.  The student's performance is

based on all other students in his or her grade level across the State of Ohio which renders the population much larger than the

SOAR population. Rather than using the Predicted versus Observed approach, the ODE approach asks the question, "what is the

anticipated or average growth of, for instance, 6th grade students on the OAT Reading test in Ohio."  A number of calculations are

then made for the 6th graders in Olmsted Falls and the growth question is asked: Did students make more than anticipated growth,

anticipated growth or less than anticipated growth?