Moving Forward While Looking Back - How Can VAM Lawsuits Guide Teacher Evaluation Policy in the Age of ESSA - Special Issue

Oct 15, 2026

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states and districts discretion to design teacher evaluation policies, including policies that use Value Added Models (VAMs). Although some research debates this flexibility, attention remains limited to how law and litigation may shape VAM use in the future. Even if VAM adoption is declining, several jurisdictions still require or permit it, keeping assessment relevant. The paper applies legal research and a law-and-policy framework to analyze VAM-related lawsuits and extract key principles for policymakers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

ESSA and changes in federal control over teacher evaluation

VAMs as metrics for estimating teacher contribution to student growth

Litigation as an overlooked source of guidance under ESSA

SPECIAL ISSUE Policies and Practices of Promise in Teacher Evaluation education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University Volume 28 Number 64 April 13 , 2020 ISSN 1068-2341 Moving Forward While Looking Back: How Can VAM Lawsuits Guide Teacher Evaluation Policy in the Age of ESSA? Mark Paige University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth United States Citation: Paige, M. (2020). Moving forward while looking back: How can VAM lawsuits guide teacher evaluation policy in the age of ESSA. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(64) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5067](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5067 This)[ This](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5067 This) article is part of the special issue, Policies and Practices of Promise in Teacher Evaluation, guest edited by Audrey Amrein-Beardsley. Abstract: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) appears to offer states and districts discretion to develop teacher evaluation policies, including those that may use Value Added Models (VAMs) . While scholars are discussing this flexibility, limited attention has been paid to the potential role of the law in connection with the future use of VAMs in evaluation policy. While VAMs may be declining in use, several states require or permit them, making the continued assessment relevant. Moreover, given that VAMs were at the center of numerous high-profile lawsuits, assessing litigation outcomes in the context of ESSA is a useful exercise, particularly for jurisdictions that may use (or contemplate their use) of VAMs. Toward this end, this paper applies legal research methods and a law and policy framework to review lawsuits concerning VAMs to distill key principles for state and local policymakers. Keywords: Law; teacher evaluation; accountability; value added models Avanzando mientras mira hacia atrás: ¿Cómo pueden las demandas VAM guiar lapolítica de evaluación de maestros en la era de ESSA? Resumen: La Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, por sus siglas en inglés) parece ofrecera los estados y distritos discreción para desarrollar políticas de evaluación docente, incluidas las que pueden usar modelos de valor agregado (VAM) . Mientras los académicos discuten esta flexibilidad, se ha prestado atención limitada al papel potencial de la ley en relación con el uso futuro de VAM en la política de evaluación. Si bien los VAM puedenestar disminuyendo en uso, varios estados los requieren o permiten, lo que hace que la evaluación continua sea relevante. Además, dado que los VAM estaban en el centro de numerosas demandas de alto perfil, evaluar los resultados de litigios en el contexto de ESSA es un ejercicio útil, particularmente para las jurisdicciones que pueden usar (ocontemplar su uso) de VAM. Con este fin, este documento aplica métodos de investigación legal y un marco de leyes y políticas para revisar demandas relacionadas con VAM para destilar principios clave para los responsables de políticas estatales y locales. Palabras clave: derecho; evaluación docente; accountability; modelos de valor agregado Avançando enquanto olha para trás: Como os processos do VAM podem orientar as políticas de avaliação de professores na era da ESSA Resumo: A Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) parece oferecer discrição aos estados edistritos para desenvolver políticas de avaliação de professores, incluindo aquelas que podem usar modelos de valor agregado (VAMs) . Enquanto os estudiosos discutem essa flexibilidade, pouca atenção foi dada ao possível papel da lei em conexão com o uso futurode VAMs na política de avaliação. Embora os VAMs possam estar em declínio, vários estados os exigem ou permitem, tornando relevante a avaliação contínua. Além disso, como os VAMs estavam no centro de vários processos de alto nível, avaliar resultados delitígios no contexto da ESSA é um exercício útil, principalmente para jurisdições que podem usar (ou considerar seu uso) de VAMs. Para

FAQs

How does ESSA change the role of federal control in teacher evaluation policies?

ESSA loosens federal control over education policy, giving states and districts more discretion in designing teacher evaluation systems, including whether and how VAMs may be used.

Why is continued attention to VAMs still important under ESSA?

Despite discussion of declining use, some states still require or permit VAMs, so evaluating litigation outcomes remains relevant for jurisdictions considering their use.

What approach does the paper use to draw lessons from VAM-related lawsuits?

It applies legal research methods and a law-and-policy framework to review lawsuits concerning VAMs and distill key principles for state and local policymakers.

Oct 15, 2026

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