Adding value and value adding: The concept of 'value added' in partially and fully selective schools

Currently in Australia, the concept of 'value added' is a cause of some political contention and considerable public angst. Beginning with Hattie's (2009) notion that the real work of schooling is to add value to conceptual artefacts, this paper explores two key points set within the educational context of selective schools. First, the use of value added models should be approached with extreme caution, especially with respect to selective schools because many of them will find it difficult to demonstrate added value using existing measures. Second, there are many attributes of selective schooling education which are already being quantitatively or qualitatively measured, and which would form the basis of a more appropriate value added model for use by parents, schools and school systems. A holistic model of value added in the selective school setting, based on the authors' research and the research literature on the education of gifted and talented students, is proposed. It takes into account school and teacher input and those factors that directly affect student choices and engagement, and would measure much of the value that a school adds to a student's education.