The usability of teacher-growth scores versus CST/API/AYP math status scores in sixth and seventh grade mathematics classes

UnrestrictedWith passage of The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, the nation’s schools have been under pressure to bring all students to a proficient level as defined by their state. The State of California currently uses a status model accountability system to measure whether a student, school, or district is proficient. Other states such as Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee are exploring an alternative to the status model by piloting a growth model system to assess whether their students are proficient. This case study of a California school district examined the usability of a growth model within seven middle schools at the teacher-level. The growth model used was a residualized-change score growth model that accounted for the pretest when measuring growth.; Additionally, the relationship between sixth and seventh grade mathematics student test scores and eighth grade Algebra I student test scores was explored; Split-half reliability results were strong, thus suggesting the residualized-change score growth model is reliable. Additionally, the data revealed a very strong correlation between teacher-level residualized-change scores with teacher-level CST API and AYP scores