The majority of states include value-added models (VAMs) or some other measure of student academic growth as a component of their teacher evaluation systems. However, there is considerable disagreement among researchers about whether states and school districts should use student growth measures to make high-stakes personnel decisions. Many…

The traditional approach to estimating the consistency of school effects across subject areas and the stability of school effects across time is to fit separate value-added multilevel models to each subject or cohort and to correlate the resulting empirical Bayes predictions. We show that this gives biased correlations and these biases cannot be…

Computational aesthetics is a relatively new subfield of artificial intelligence (AI). It includes research that enables computers to "recognize" (and evaluate) beauty in various domains such as visual art, music, and games. Aside from the benefit this gives to humans in terms of creating and appreciating art in these domains, there are perhaps…

This report provides an overview of the process used to derive a school's growth level and summarizes 2015 math and reading/ELA growth levels for all AISD elementary, middle and high schools. Additionally, longitudinal data are provided for each school level.

In a provocative and influential paper, Jesse Rothstein (2010) finds that standard value-added models (VAMs) suggest implausible future teacher effects on past student achievement, a finding that obviously cannot be viewed as causal. This is the basis of a falsification test (the Rothstein falsification test) that appears to indicate bias in VAM…

The Predictive Evaluation (PE) model is a training and evaluation approach with the element of prediction. PE allows trainers and business leaders to predict the results, value, intention, adoption, and impact of training, allowing them to make smarter, more strategic training and evaluation investments. PE is invaluable for companies that…

The paper proposes a simple methodology to estimate an affluence line that depends on the knowledge of the income distribution and the poverty line for a given population. The idea that poverty is morally unacceptable and can be eradicated through redistribution of wealth provides the grounds for the methodology. The line is defined as the value…

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has recently issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141 (Revised 2007) Business Combinations. The object of this Statement is to improve the relevance, representational faithfulness, and comparability of reported information about a business combination and its effects. This Statement…

In a recent issue of the "AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice," Hilling (2004) described procedures for obtaining a fair compensation process for principals, and the thrust of this work was on establishing internal consistency for salaries among administrators. This article addresses similar concerns, but differs in several important ways.…

We investigate how the distribution of AIDS cases in the United States increased homophobia over time. Using pooled GSS surveys, 1973-1998, with state-reported AIDS cases, we estimate models for variation in homophobic attitudes as a function of the time-specific proportion of AIDS cases in a given state. AIDS incidence had a negative impact on…

Discusses a counting system and number operations. Suggests six distinct areas in a "number" subject: one-to-one correspondences; simple counting process; complicated counting process; addition and multiplication; algorithms for the operations; and the decimal system. (YP)

Reviews research concerning problems in children's understanding of place value in multidigit numbers. Discusses four elements essential to programs focusing on place value: counting, partitioning, grouping, and understanding number relationships. Proposes a framework and an educational program for nurturing and assessing children's understanding…

Provides a bibliography of children's literature exploring mathematical concepts: classification; place value and numeration systems; counting, addition, and subtraction; multiplication and division; fractions; estimation; big numbers; geometry; measurement; and games and puzzles. Highlights one book for each concept, suggests class activities,…