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15 Feb 2015
Report

How Methodology Decisions Affect the Variability of Schools Identified as Beating the Odds

Yasuya Abe, Phyllis Weinstock, and Vincent Chan, IMPAQ International
Coby Meyers, Dean Gerdeman, and W. Christopher Brandt, AIR

Schools that show better academic performance than would be expected given characteristics of the school and student populations are often described as “beating the odds” (BTO). State and local education agencies often attempt to identify such schools as a means of identifying strategies or practices that might be contributing to the schools’ relative success.

Key decisions on how to identify BTO schools may affect whether schools make the BTO list and thereby the identification of practices used to beat the odds. The purpose of this study was to examine how a list of BTO schools might change depending on the methodological choices and selection of indicators used in the BTO identification process. This study considered whether choices of methodologies and type of indicators affect the schools that are identified as BTO.

Results indicate that even when similar specifications were applied across statistical methods, different sets of BTO schools were identified. In addition, for each statistical method used, the lists of BTO schools identified varied with the choice of indicators. Fewer than half of the schools were identified as BTO in more than one year. The results demonstrate that different technical decisions can lead to different identification results.

How Methodology Decisions Affect the Variability of Schools Identified as Beating the Odds

Related Work

7 Apr 2016
Brief

How Methodology Decisions Affect the Variability of Schools Identified as Beating the Odds

Many states are attempting to identify schools that perform better than schools with similar populations. Such “beating-the-odds” schools offer opportunities to identify promising practices that can be implemented by other schools serving similar populations. This study uses data from the Michigan Department of Education to demonstrate how methodological decisions affect which schools are identified as beating the odds.
Topic: 
Education, District and School Improvement

Further Reading

  • How Methodology Decisions Affect the Variability of Schools Identified as Beating the Odds
  • Successful California Schools in the Context of Educational Adequacy
  • District Guide for Creating Indicators for Early Warning Systems
  • Identifying South Carolina Charter Schools That Are “Beating the Odds”
  • AIR School Improvement Experts Present at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement
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Topic

Education
District and School Improvement

Related Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest (REL Midwest)

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