Sentinels Guarding the Grail - Value-Added Measurement and the Quest for Education Reform

Oct 15, 2026

Since the beginning of the federal Race To The Top grant competition, Value-Added Measurement (VAM) has shaped American public attention through prominent media depictions and controversy. This paper analyzes the policymaking discourse inside Tennessee’s Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee (TEAC) by using audio-recorded public meetings from March 2010 to April 2011. It highlights a “sentinel of trust” framing of VAM and shows three construction patterns in teacher evaluation: VAM alone defines effectiveness, VAM is treated as the only objective option, and objections are minimized.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Special Issue

Value-Added: What America’s Policymakers Need to Know and Understand

Sentinels Guarding the Grail: Value-Added Measurement and the Quest for Education Reform

Abstract

Keywords

SPECIAL ISSUE Value-Added: What America’s Policymakers Need to Know and Understand education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University | Volume 21 Number 9 | January 31st 2013 | ISSN 1068-2341 | | --- | --- | --- | Sentinels Guarding the Grail: Value-Added Measurement and the Quest for Education Reform Rachael Gabriel University of Connecticut Jessica Nina Lester Washington State University United States of America Citation: Gabriel, R. & Lester, J. N. (2012) . Sentinels guarding the grail: Value-added measurement and the quest for education reform. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 21(9) . This article is part of EPAA/AAPE’s Special Issue on Value-Added: What America’s Policymakers Need to Know and Understand, Guest Edited by Dr. Audrey Amrein-Beardsley and Assistant Editors Dr. Clarin Collins, Dr. Sarah Polasky, and Ed Sloat. Retrieved [date], from [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1165](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1165) [Abstract](Abstract: Since the beginning of the federal Race To The Top grant competition)[: Since the beginning of the federal Race To The Top grant competition](Abstract: Since the beginning of the federal Race To The Top grant competition), Value-Added Measurement (VAM) has captured the attention of the American public through high-profile media representations of the tool and the controversy that surrounds it. In this paper, we build upon investigations of constructions of VAM in the media and present a discourse analysis of the policymaking process within the meetings of Tennessee’s Teacher Evaluation Advisory Committee (TEAC), a 15-member panel appointed by the Tennessee governor to develop a new teacher evaluation policy under Race to the Top. The data included audio recordings of public meetings from March, 2010 through the end of the committee’s work in April, 2011. As we analyzed the talk of the TEAC, we oriented to the particular version of VAM worked up within these conversationsin relation to a descriptive metaphor in which VAM is compared to a “sentinel of trust.” We present examples to illustrate three patterns in the construction of VAM as the sentinel of trust within teacher evaluation: (1) VAM alone defines effectiveness; (2) VAM is the only objective option; and (3) concerns about VAM are minimized. We discuss the implications of this way of thinking and talking about VAM and contrast it with other possibilities, including those constructed by teachers, researchers, and the media. Keywords: value-added measurement; teacher evaluation; discourse analysis; policy making. Centinelas guardando el Santo Grial: Medida sobre el valor añadido y la Búsqueda para reformar la educación Resumen: Desde el principio de el programa federal Carrera a la Cumbre (Race to the Top) los modelos de valor añadido (MVA) han capturado la atención del público americano a través de presentaciones sobre el instrumento y los debates que lo rodean en medios de comunicación prominentes. En este trabajo, nos basamos en investigaciones sobre la generación de MVAs en los medios y presentamos un análisis de discurso del proceso de generación de políticas dentro de las reuniones del Comité asesor de Evaluación de Profesores de Tennessee (TEAC), un panel compuesto por 15 miembros designados por el gobernador de Tennessee para desarrollar una nueva política de evaluacióndocente bajo el programa Carrera a la Cumbre. Los datos incluyeron grabaciones de audio de reuniones públicas desde marzo de 2010 hasta finales del trabajo del comité en abril de 2011. Cuando analizamos los discursos del TEAC, nos orientamos a la versión particular de MVAs desarrollado dentro de estas conversaciones con relación a una metáfora descriptiva en la cual MVAs es comparado con un “centinela de confianza.” Presentamos ejemplos para ilustrar tres modelos en la construcción de MVAs como centinela de confianza dentro de la evaluación

FAQs

How does the paper characterize Value-Added Measurement (VAM) in Tennessee teacher evaluation discussions?

It frames VAM using a descriptive metaphor in which VAM is treated as a “sentinel of trust,” and analyzes how that framing shapes committee talk.

What data source does the study use to examine the policymaking process?

The study uses audio recordings of public TEAC meetings from March 2010 through the end of the committee’s work in April 2011.

What three patterns does the paper identify in how VAM is constructed as a “sentinel of trust”?

The paper identifies three patterns: (1) VAM alone defines effectiveness, (2) VAM is positioned as the only objective option, and (3) concerns about VAM are minimized.

Oct 15, 2026

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