Is growth a better measure of student performance than MCAS or AYP?
No. It simply answers a different question. If you want to know how well a student performed on the standards for mathematics or ELA by the end of 6th grade, the MCAS scaled score and performance level are the best indicators. If you want to know whether a school is on target for having all of its students Proficient by 2014, AYP reports are the right measure. If you are trying to determine how much a student’s performance has changed from 2007 to 2008 relative to the student’s academic peers, the growth model is the best indicator. A more complete understanding of performance can be obtained by using all three measures.
