Data sgp is an analysis tool for longitudinal student assessment data that creates statistical growth plots (SGPs). SGPs provide visual evidence of students’ progress relative to academic peers. They are created by comparing students’ standardized test scores with covariate information using an “growth standard”, established through prior testing history. These SGPs offer more accurate measurements of growth than traditional percentile scores do.
SGPs are calculated from up to five years of student testing history by comparing a students’ current score with the score of their peers. Educators can use this information to identify specific areas for improvement within classrooms. They can also use this data to help determine if their classroom is on track to reach state and district goals.
The SGP model uses an algorithm to determine how well a student performed on the most recent test, compared with their peers who have the same previous testing history. Students who have scores in the 75th percentile or better are considered to be making good academic progress, and those below the 25th are not. Students are ranked according to their performance in each grade and tested subject.
To see SGPs, teachers must register on their state’s website and access the data files. The file will include a number of columns, each containing a specific piece of data. The first column, ID, provides the student’s unique identifier. The following 5 columns, SS_2013, SS_2014, SS_2015, SS_2016 and SS_2017, each provide the scale scores associated with the student’s assessment score in those years. In some cases, students do not have all five years of data and their SGP will show missing values.
For each year of test results, educators can view a chart of the student’s SGP. These charts are arranged in a curve with one line representing the state average and the other lines representing the range of SGPs across the state. Teachers can use these graphs to identify which students fell inside the curve and which fell outside. They can then make decisions about how to improve the students who fell outside of the curve.
The data files also contain a table that provides the SGPs for each student in their class. The first column, sgpData, contains the student’s ID and the next columns provide the data for each of their SGPs. For example, the sgpData for student XYZ contains the student’s SGP for the SS_2013 and SS_2014 columns, and the sgpData for student ABC contains the students SGP for the SS_2016 and SS_2017 columns. These tables can be sorted to display the students by their SGPs in ascending order, or descending by their SGPs in decreasing order. These columns can be exported to spreadsheets for further analysis. The SGP data files are available in both WIDE and LONG format to facilitate this process. The Macomb and Clare-Gladwin ISDs have created podcasts that walk through the process of using these interactive tools. They recommend that districts should begin to use these tools, but should not apply them for high-stakes educator evaluation purposes this year.