Value-Added Assessment measures what the student knows or what competencies the student exhibits at two distinct points in time (it can be applied before and after the completion of a course or before and after the completion of a degree program). The idea is to measure the competency before and after the instruction. Thus, the change in competency is assumed to be the result of the instruction. The learning gain serves as an estimate of the course or program's contribution to the student's learning.

While this approach is gaining popularity with State Governments who are looking for ways to assess and compare the learning gain across many state institutions, there are several drawbacks to applying this approach at the course and program level.

Disadvantages:

1. While this approach measures learning gain, it is not clear that all of the learning gain can be attributed to the course or degree program.
2. While this approach measures learning gain, it does not assess the achievement of specific course or program objectives. Targeted assessment tools that focus on specific objectives are much better means of assessment.
3. When applied to the course level in introductory courses there will be significant gain in competencies, but how do you know what is the appropriate level of learning.
4. At the course level, value added learning is no improvement over the course grade as a measure of learning achieved (in fact is in many ways inferior). At best it measures aggregate learning only.
5. Even when using this approach by comparing Departmental or Program Value Added percentages the data is relatively meaningless across programs.

While easy to administer, this approach is not recommended to faculty members at Missouri State University-West Plains. If faculty members see benefits for their courses and wish to employ this assessment technique the Faculty Assessment Coordinator will assist them in using the technique.

There is a good exposition of the benefits and disadvantages of Value-Added Assessment in the link below.

For a good outline on how to design Value Added Assessment Plans See:

Pre- and Post-Assessment, or Value-Added Assessment - Assessment Handbook. (n.d.) Department of Assessment, Skidmore College.

http://www.skidmore.edu/administration/assessment/Assessment H Pre- and Post-Testing, or Value-Added Assessment.htm