This paper reports on a study conducted to investigate the consistency of the results between 2 approaches to estimating school effectiveness through value-added modeling. Estimates of school effects from the layered model employing item response theory (IRT) scaled data are compared to estimates derived from a discrete growth model based on the analysis of transitions along an ordinal developmental scale. The data were extracted from the longitudinal records maintained in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) archive for students remaining in the same school from the beginning of kindergarten through the end of Grade 3. The results of different comparisons indicated that the estimates from the 2 approaches are moderately consistent.
