Final answer:
Value-added is a statistical measure that shows the teacher or school's contribution to student achievement growth. It is used to determine rewards or replacements for teachers, serving as the basis for performance-based incentives. Other proposals for altering school incentives include regular student testing, performance rewards, school choice expansion, and supporting the creation of new schools.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statistical measure that indicates the contribution of teachers and schools to student achievement growth is known as value-added. Value-added models (VAM) assess how much value a teacher or a school adds to a student's educational attainment, beyond what might be expected from a student's prior performance. This concept has been influential in educational policy, especially in relation to teacher accountability and performance.
To evaluate teachers and schools, students' test scores are analyzed over time, with sophisticated statistical techniques employed to determine the teacher's or school's impact. When value-added is used to determine rewards or replacements for teachers, it serves as a basis for performance-based incentives. Teachers or schools that demonstrate significant positive impacts on student growth may be rewarded, potentially through bonuses or more favorable working conditions. Conversely, consistently low value-added scores might lead to replacements or demands for additional teacher training.
Educational experts have proposed various methods to alter school incentives rather than merely increasing budgets. These include regular student testing, financial rewards for high-performing schools, the expansion of school choice options such as vouchers, and the creation of new schools by teachers and parents.