| Abstract: | The Growth Model Pilot Program (GMPP) was introduced as a response to criticism of the reliance of No Child Left Behind on status‐based indicators. Although incorporating a growth component appears to be a step in the right direction, it adds a level of complexity that brings to the fore new concerns. Three of the four papers in this special issue address different manifestations of a common problem: how choices related to implementation of the GMPP, made on technical or practical grounds, can have substantial consequences for schools and teachers. The fourth paper explicates a different approach to growth modeling. Together these papers add considerably to our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of growth‐based indicators. In this discussion, I attempt to set these papers in a larger context before providing brief reviews. I conclude by arguing that the nation will be better served if policy makers appreciated the consequences of choices before they crafted legislation and the accompanying regulations. |
