Value-Added Assessment in Washington State

Currently, Seattle Public Schools are using Value Added:

• To provide additional diagnostic/planning information;
• As part of data driven decision making/ school transformation plans; and,
• To provide
  • Academic achievement for all students, and
  • Elimination of the achievement gap. ⁱ

In 1999, the Seattle School district contracted with Dr. William Sanders for review of data from Seattle schools. The district obtained a three-year grant to pay for the costs of obtaining and institutionalizing Sanders value-added analysis, making it a regular part of schools' planning.

"Currently the district only obtains the data at the school building level, but would like to obtain teacher-level data if it proves possible to do so without the data being make public. The analysis combines data from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. EVAAS is now providing the data in a form that examines the growth of the district as a whole across time, not just comparing schools to the district average each year." ⁱⁱ

Links to important web sites

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, http://www.k12.wa.us

Seattle Public Schools, http://www.seattleschools.org/area/main/index.dxml

Washington Office of Superintendent Of Public Administration, "Measuring Student Progress: Basic Skills and the Application of Knowledge" http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/default.aspx#system

Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission, http://www.k12.wa.us/accountability/information%20prior%20meetings/Priormtg.htm

Seattle Public Schools, "Value Added - Understanding Value Added in Seattle," http://www.seattleschools.org/area/valueadded/vahelp.xml

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