A forthcoming study by University of Missouri researchers finds that accounting for factors like poverty when comparing schools could lead to a more “effective and equitable” teacher-evaluation system.
The study compares a so-called “proportional evaluation” system with two other methods of teacher evaluation: a basic value-added model and one in which the performance of individual students is compared with that of their peers. Unlike the other models, proportional evaluation takes into consideration factors outside the classroom, including school resources and the socioeconomic backgrounds of students.
The study finds that while higher poverty rates often correlate with lower value-added measures, that association disappears when each school is compared with like institutions.
