Value-Added Assessment in Pennsylvania

In the spring of 2002, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education mandated that value-added assessment be implemented in all state school districts. The following September, the State Department of Education (PDE) began a "value-added assessment" pilot program implemented in 32 school districts to show how students and teachers contributed to academic achievement gains. All of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts will be required to participate in the program beginning in the fall of 2005. Pennsylvania contracted with EVASS operated by Dr. William Sanders in Cary, North Carolina.

With the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS) analysis, districts will be able to see, report and act upon growth data - they will 'see' whether their students are in fact making progress; they will be able to 'report' on the gains made and they will be able to 'act' on what the PVAAS analysis reveals to make relevant instructional decisions for all groups of students.

The phase-in process for the implementation of Pennsylvania's Assessment Plan follows:

SY 02-03: Phase I:	Initial Pilot: 32 School Districts
SY 03-04: Phase II:	62 total districts to participate as follows: 32 Initial Pilot Phase I Districts School Districts continue participation 30 Additional (Phase II) School Districts begin participation (voluntary)
SY 04-05: Phase III:	122 total districts to participate as follows: 32 Initial Pilot Phase I School Districts continue participation 30 (Phase II) School Districts continue participation 60 additional (Phase III) School Districts participate (voluntary)
SY 05-06: Phase IV:	Full Implementation 501 School Districts participate

Implementing PVAAS will require a comprehensive support structure and professional development opportunities. A core team with expertise in PVAAS will continue to provide support to the initial pilot districts, as well as to the new districts that come on board. During the 2004-05 school year, additional support and resources will be provided to Intermediate Unit Teams to build capacity and support all districts during 2005-06 full implementation and beyond.ⁱ

The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee recently took testimony from districts that participated in the project. Superintendents from two of the participating districts told the committee that the program allows them to spot testing trends better over time and use the data to determine where teachers might need extra help in the classroom.ⁱⁱ

Charles Zogby, the former commissioner of education in Pennsylvania said: "We've always understood that the fairest measure for our schools, for our school districts, is looking at where did your kids start, and where did they end up?"ⁱⁱⁱ

Links to important websites

Pennsylvania Department of Education, http://www.pde.state.pa.us

Minnesota Department of Administration, "Pennsylvania Reviews "Value-Added" Pilot Projects," Minnesota Issue Watch, March 23, 2004, http://server.admin.state.mn.us/issues/scan.htm?Id=6324

Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS),
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/a_and_t/cwp/view.asp?a=108&Q=108916&a_and_tNav=|6429|

Martha Raffaele, "Schools see 'value-added' test analysis as beneficial," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 2004, http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04077/286865.stm

| Center for Greater Philadelphia | Operation Public Education | Theodore Hershberg |
| Home | Contact CGP | CGP Publications |