How Well Do Teacher Observations Predict Value-Added? Exploring Variability Across Districts

In this study we ask: Do observational instruments predict teachers' value-added equally well across different state tests and district/state contexts? And, to what extent are differences in these correlations a function of the match between the observation instrument and tested content? We use data from the Gates Foundation-funded Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project(N=1,333) study of elementary and middle school teachers from six large public school districts,and from a smaller (N=250) study of fourth- and fifth-grade math teachers from four large public school districts. Early results indicate that estimates of the relationship between teachers' value-added scores and their observed classroom instructional quality differ considerably by district.