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Audrey Beardsley

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MLF Teachers College
Professor
Faculty, WEST Campus, Mailcode 3151
Biography: 

Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, PhD, is currently a Professor at Arizona State University. Her research interests include educational policy, educational measurement, and research methods with emphases on quantitative, survey research, and evaluation methods. She is the author of nearly 100 peer- and editorially-reviewed journal articles and two academic books - one published in 2014 titled "Rethinking Value-Added Models in Education: Critical Perspectives on Tests and Assessment-Based Accountability" (here) and the other published in 2016 titled "Student Growth Measures in Policy and Practice: Intended and Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Evaluations" (here). Her research has been highlighted in popular press outlets including National Public Radio (NPR), The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Education Week, The Huffington Post, The Economist; other local news outlets (e.g., The Boston Globe, The Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, The Arizona Republic); and television media, including Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) shows and HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (here).

Professor Amrein-Beardsley's research, more specifically, focuses on the use of value-added models (VAMs) in and across states before and since the federal passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). For states still relying on VAMs for high-stakes, consequential decision-making purposes, she is conducting validation studies on multiple system components, as well as serving as an expert witness in many legal cases surrounding the (mis)uses of VAM-based output. Her research centers around two questions:

  1. What are the intended and unintended consequences of such test-based educational policies, both empirically and pragmattically as realized in practice?
  2. How are key educational and psychological measurement concepts (e.g., reliability and validity) interpreted and realized in both policy and practice?

Professor Amrein-Beardsley is also the creator of the blog VAMboozled!, now with over 55,000 followers. She is also creator/host of a web series entitled Inside the Academy during which she interviews and archives the personal and professional histories of some of the top educational researchers in the national academy.

CV
Binary Data Curriculum Vitae
Education: 
  • Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Emphasis Research Methods, Arizona State University, 2002
  • M.Ed. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Emphasis Leadership and Administration, Arizona State University, 1998
  • B.A. Education, Mathematics and Spanish, University of Arizona, 1993
Research Website URL: 
http://vamboozled.com/
Google Scholar URL: 
Google Scholar Profile
Research Interests: 

Professor Amrein-Beardsley's research focuses on the use of value-added models (VAMs) in and across states before and since the federal passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). For states still relying on VAMs for high-stakes, consequential decision-making purposes, she is conducting validation studies on multiple system components, as well as serving as an expert witness in many legal cases surrounding the (mis)uses of VAM-based output. Her research centers around two questions:

  1. What are the intended and unintended consequences of such test-based educational policies, both empirically and pragmattically as realized in practice?
  2. How are key educational and psychological measurement concepts (e.g., reliability and validity) interpreted and realized in both policy and practice?
Publications: 

*Selected Publications (see CV for full list)

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., *Geiger, T. J., & *Winn, K. (2022). States’ performance on NAEP mathematics and reading exams after the implementation of school letter grade accountability policies. Cogent Education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2063223

  • Fischman, G. E., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & McBride-Schreiner, S. (2022). Education research is still the hardest science: A proposal for improving its trustworthiness and usability. F1000Research, 11(230). https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.109700.1

  • *Gong, B., Collins, C., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2022). An international professional development collaboration: Supporting teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through an immersion program in the United States. Gulf Education and Social Policy Review, 2(2), 115-143. https://doi.org/10.18502/gespr.v2i1.10045

  • Lavery, M. R., Amrein-Beardsley, A., *Geiger, T., & Pivovarova, M. (2020). Value-added model (VAM) scholars on using VAMs for teacher evaluation, after the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Teachers College Record, 122(8). https://www.tcrecord.org/content.asp?contentid=23320

  • *Geiger, T. J., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2020). Student perception surveys for K-12 teacher evaluation in the United States: A survey of surveys. Cogent Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1602943

  • *Geiger, T. J., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Holloway, J. (2020). Using test scores to evaluate and hold school teachers accountable in New Mexico. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 32(2), 187-235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-020-09324-w

  • Paige, M. A., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2020). “Houston, we have a lawsuit:” A cautionary tale for the implementation of value-added models (VAMs) for high-stakes employment decisions. Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20923046

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & *Geiger, T. J. (2020). Methodological concerns about the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS): Validity, reliability, and bias. SAGE Open, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020922224

  • *Close, K., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Collins, C. (2020). Putting teacher evaluation systems on the map: An overview of states’ teacher evaluation systems post-Every Student Succeeds Act. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(1), 1-58. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.5252 

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., Sloat, E., & Holloway, J. (2020). All value-added models (VAMs) are wrong, but sometimes they may be useful. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 17(1), 31-39. https://www.aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/JSPspring2020.FINAL.v1.pdf

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2019). The Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) on trial: A precedent-setting lawsuit with implications for policy and practice. eJournal of Education Policy. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1234497.pdf

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & *Geiger, T. J. (2019). Potential sources of invalidity when using teacher value-added and principal observational estimates: Artificial inflation, deflation, and conflation. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 31(4), 465-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-019-09311-w

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & *Close, K. (2019). Teacher-level value-added models (VAMs) on trial: Empirical and pragmatic issues of concern across five court cases. Educational Policy 35(6), 1-42 https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904819843593

  • Paige, M. A., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & *Close, K. (2019). Tennessee’s national impact on teacher evaluation law & policy: An assessment of value-added model litigation [Law Review]. Tennessee Journal of Law & Policy, 13(2), 523-574.

  • Kwon, J. Y., Kulinna, P. H, van der Mars, H, Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Koro-Ljungberg, M. (2019). Comprehensive school physical activity programs preparation in physical education teacher education programs. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 38(3), 271-276. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2018-0110

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Collins, C. (2018). Using the Texas Value-Added Assessment System (TxVAAS) to improve teacher effectiveness: Investigating the research-situated “truths” behind TxVAAS claims. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 8(1), 146-178. https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2018.08.1.12

  • Sloat, E., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Sabo, K. E. (2018). The TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement: A (questionable) system of teacher accountability and professional support. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 15(3), 4-11.

  • Sloat, E., Amrein-Beardsley, A., Holloway, J. (2018). Different teacher-level effectiveness estimates, different results: Inter-model concordance across six generalized value-added models (VAMs). Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 30(4), 367-397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-018-9283-7

  • Paufler, N. A., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). Classics and contemporaries: The "Top Ten" books recommended by some of the finest in the education academy. Critical Questions in Education, 100-116. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1191118.pdf

  • Kwon, J. Y., Kulinna, P. H., van der Mars, H., Koro-Ljungberg, M., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Norris, J. (2018). Physical education pre-service teachers’ perceptions about preparation for Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 89(2), 221-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2018.1443196

  • Pivovarova, M., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). Median growth percentiles (MGPs): Assessment of intertemporal stability and correlations with observational scores. Educational Assessment, 2, 139-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2018.1449634

Summer 2022
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Spring 2022
Course NumberCourse Title
EDU 598Special Topics
TEL 710Innov Disseminating Res
TEL 780Practicum
EPA 792Research
DCI 792Research
TEL 799Dissertation
DCI 799Dissertation
EPA 799Dissertation
Fall 2021
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
TEL 710Innov Disseminating Res
TEL 780Practicum
EPA 790Reading and Conference
EPA 792Research
TEL 799Dissertation
EPA 799Dissertation
Summer 2021
Course NumberCourse Title
TEL 710Innov Disseminating Res
TEL 780Practicum
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Spring 2021
Course NumberCourse Title
TEL 710Innov Disseminating Res
TEL 780Practicum
DCI 784Internship
EPA 784Internship
TEL 792Research
EPA 792Research
DCI 792Research
DCI 799Dissertation
EPA 799Dissertation
Fall 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
COE 691Seminar
EPA 790Reading and Conference
TEL 792Research
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Summer 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Spring 2020
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
EPA 784Internship
DCI 784Internship
EPA 792Research
DCI 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
DCI 799Dissertation
Fall 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 790Reading and Conference
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Summer 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
EPA 784Internship
DCI 784Internship
EPA 792Research
DCI 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
DCI 799Dissertation
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
EPA 790Reading and Conference
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Summer 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
EPA 784Internship
DCI 784Internship
EPA 792Research
DCI 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
DCI 799Dissertation
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
EPA 691Seminar
TEL 701Advanced Quantitative Methods
EPA 790Reading and Conference
EPA 792Research
EPA 799Dissertation
Presentations: 

*Selected Presentations (most recent two years; see CV for full list)

  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). Public intellectuals and alternative modes of knowledge production. Presidential session presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.
  • Geiger, T. J., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). Student perception surveys for K-12 teacher evaluation: A survey of surveys. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.
  • Close, K., Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Collins, C. (2018). A national overview of teacher evaluation systems post the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.
  • Geiger, T. J., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). New Mexico's value-added model (VAM) in court: An examination of reliability, validity, and bias. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.
  • Sloat, E., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2018). Examining the factor structure underlying the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New York, NY.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). How do scholars bring research to bear in the debates over public education, and what are we learning about this work? Panel, Coordinated Committee Meeting, American Educational Research Association, Washington DC.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). High-stakes tests for student- and teacher-level accountability. Nevada Committee on Education, Regarding Nevada's Educator Performance Framework and AB 212. Nevada State Capitol, Carson City, NV.
  • Sowl, S., Collins, C., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). Teaching and learning to enhance evaluation practices: Striving to optimize student learning outcomes by blending evaluation theory and application. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of American Evaluation Association (AEA), Washington, D.C.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). Global perspectives on market-based teacher accountability policies and practices. Symposium presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). Key teacher evaluation/accountability system components: Using diverse methods to inform practice and policy. Symposium presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Close, K. (2017). Teacher value-added systems "at issue" across US courts: Critical measurement issues. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.
  • Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Geiger, T. J. (2017). Potential sources of invalidity when using value-added estimates: Artificial inflation, deflation, and conflation. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.
  • Geiger, T. J., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). The Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS): Methodological issues, and implications for policy and practicality. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.
  • Lavery, M. R., Hahs-Vaughn, D., Sivo, S. A., Bai, H., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). A priori analysis of error rates in value added models. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), San Antonio, TX.

 

Honors / Awards: 

*Selected Honors/Awards (see CV for full list)

  • 2019, Nominee for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division D – Measurement and Research Methodologies – Robert L. Linn Distinguished Address Award

  • 2019, Elected Fellow of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), University of Colorado, Boulder. NEPC Profile: https://nepc.colorado.edu/author/amrein-beardsley-audrey

  • 2015, Outstanding Integration of Scholarship and Service Award, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College - Arizona State University (ASU)

  • 2015, Fellow in the Arizona State University (ASU) Leadership Academy (LA) within the Global Institute of Sustainability and the Office of Knowledge and Enterprise Development (OKED).

  • 2014, College faculty honored/highlighted in the new ASU Charter video. This video includes a "comprehensive document focusing the university's mission on the inclusion and success of all its students, and on a fundamental social responsibility to the communities ASU serves." Retrieved from here.

  • 2011-2014, Ranked as one of three education professors at ASU in the top 1% (2oo/2o,ooo) edu-scholars in the nation, honored in Education Week for being university-based academics who are contributing most substantially to public debates about America's public education system [ranked 118/121 for 2011; 136/168 for 2012, 175/200 for 2013].

  • 2011, Best Paper Award - The effect of the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) on teaching practices and the profession, Arizona Educational Research Organization (AERO)

  • 2011, Featured Speaker - US Education Senate Committee, Invited to speak about the intended and unintended effects of the SAS® Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®). Invited with Linda Darling-Hammond (Stanford), Ed Haertel (Stanford), & Jesse Rothstein (UC Berkeley).

  • 2010, Awarded Tenure as ASU Presidential Exemplar

  • 2003, Best Article in an Electronic Journal for 2002, American Educational Research Association (AERA), Article: High-stakes testing, uncertainty, and student learning.

     

Editorships: 
  • 2016-present, Lead Editor - Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)
  • 2013-present, Editorial Review Board - Journal of Teacher Education (JTE)
  • 2017-present, Editorial Review Board - Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education
  • 2013-2015, Associate Editor - Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)
  • 2016-2017, Editorial Review Board - Journal of Research on Organization in Education

 

Professional Associations: 
  • American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  • American Evaluation Association (AEA)
Graduate Faculties / Mentoring History: 

*See CV for full list

Work History: 
  • Professor, 2016-present, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
    • Learning Sciences Institute Faculty Affiliate
    • School of Public Affairs Faculty Affiliate
    • Center for the Arts and Science of Teaching Affiliate
  • Associate Professor, 2010-2016, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
  • Assistant Professor, 2004-2010, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

 

Service: 

*See CV for full list, including professional-, college-, and university-level service

Expertise Areas: 
Assessments, Tests, and Evaluation in Education
Educational Accountability
Educational Policy and Politics
Evaluation in Education
Measurement and Statistics in Education