The National Association of Secondary School Principals has given preliminary approval to a statement that says test-score-based algorithms for measuring teacher quality are inappropriate.
In addition to criticizing the research on such “value added” systems, the statement says the timing for using them is not right, just as schools adjust to demands from the Common Core State Standards and other difficult new expectations for K-12 students.
Value-added systems, the statement says, should be used to measure school improvement and help determine the effectiveness of some programs and instructional methods; they could even be used to tailor professional development. But they shouldn’t be used to make “key personnel decisions” about individual teachers.
