Split over measures for school progress

In the absence of achievement grades worth celebrating, Hamilton County Schools officials this week tried to shift the focus to value-added scores.

Using tests, value-added scores measure individual students' academic growth over a school year. Schools that earn F's in achievement can still receive higher value-added grades because of their improvement.

"The Tennessee value-added model holds the schools and the teachers accountable for student achievement," Dr. Scales said.

On Wednesday, the superintendent took that message to the Hamilton County Commission, which funds the school system, but commissioners were unimpressed.

Commissioner Fred Skillern said "value-added" doesn't mean much outside of school.

"Value-added is not used in industry," he said. "Value-added is only used in education. We want results."

Mr. Skillern said employers such Volkswagen and his own business -- Dixie Souvenir -- will just want to see what applicants' skills are, not what their scores were on specific tests.

Commissioner Jim Coppinger said he also doesn't put a lot of stock in value-added assessments.

"At the end of the day, it's going to be the responsibilities of the guardian or the parent to make sure they're getting a good education," he said.

At the commission meeting, Dr. Scales told commissioners that the nation is adopting a system of looking at both achievement and value-added scores.

"Kids don't come to us on a level playing field," he said.

Value-added scores also are important in alerting teachers and administrators when a straight-A student may have slipped in achievement one year.

"Yes, that student may have scored high, but they didn't continue with the value beyond what they had already achieved academically."

Dr. Scales said that value-added scores does not "totally make up" for the district's lagging achievement scores this year, but he still believes they are important to track.

This isn't the first time school and county officials have come head-to-head over the importance of value-added test scores.

In 2005, when test scores were low under then-Superintendent Jesse Register, Commissioner Curtis Adams took issue with school system officials' focus on value-added scores.

"Value added is giving kids something they don't earn," he said at the time. "It's a false impression of what they do. At the end of the year, they still have bad grades."

* VALUE ADDED In the absence of achievement grades worth celebrating, Hamilton County Schools officials this week tried to shift the focus to value-added scores. Value-added scores measure students' academic growth over a school year. Schools that earn F's in achievement can still receive higher value-added grades because of their improvement.