How do value-added ratings distinguish among teachers in an evaluation process?
Under the OPE system, teachers fall into three broad categories – “highly effective,” “effective” and “ineffective” – that correspond roughly to more than, equal to and less than a year’s worth of growth in a year. Although the percentages of teachers falling into each category will vary by subject and grade – for example, there is greater variation in math than reading instruction because the learning of math is influenced more by classroom instruction – approximately 15 to 20 percent of teachers will be “highly effective and another 15-20 percent will be “ineffective.” Keep in mind, however, that empirical measures are only part of an educator’s evaluation. Observation of classroom practice using the Danielson protocols constitute half of the evaluation that determines in which of these three categories teachers appear.
