Value-Added Measurement: using student progress rather than raw test scores to measure performance in secondary schools in Uganda

International evidence shows strong accountability systems are effective at driving up education standards but they need to include carefully designed performance metrics to minimise perverse incentives and ‘gaming’.... [ view full abstract ]

International evidence shows strong accountability systems are effective at driving up education standards but they need to include carefully designed performance metrics to minimise perverse incentives and ‘gaming’. Value-added performance measures are increasingly regarded as the most robust way to hold schools to account and have been adopted by many countries around the world, although their use in the education systems of developing countries has been limited to date.

This study investigates the applicability of introducing a value-added performance measure in Uganda. We test the transferability of England’s “Progress 8” model to the Ugandan context and demonstrate the potential benefits and policy implications of using this model to improve school accountability.

After collecting student level examination data from 31,932 students across a nationally representative sample of 334 secondary schools, our statistical tests shows this model can be used to analyse school performance in Uganda more fairly. Our initial analysis shows value-added metrics offer interesting insights to policy makers and we therefore recommend scaling up this approach to strengthen the school accountability system in Uganda.