Data sgp is a collection of aggregated student achievement and learning data used to inform classroom practice, evaluate school/district performance, and support wider research initiatives. Using this information, educators can make informed decisions about teaching strategies and instructional methods while also determining which students are most likely to excel in certain content areas.
Data SGP provides access to longitudinal (time dependent) student assessment data. These data sets are typically stored in WIDE or LONG format, where each case/row represents a single student and columns represent variables associated with that student at different times. The sgpdata package, installed when one installs the SGP software, includes exemplar WIDE and LONG data sets to assist users with preparing their own data for SGP analyses.
SGP analyses provide estimates of a student’s latent achievement trait models, which are mathematical constructs that represent a student’s abilities on given assessments. These estimates are then compared against growth standards established via teacher evaluation criteria and student covariates. Unlike student test scores, which are directly observed, the estimates of a student’s latent ability traits are based on statistical algorithms that cannot guarantee accuracy. Therefore, erroneous estimates may be introduced by teacher or student covariates that are not reflected in the design of the baseline cohort, or by the assumptions of statistical algorithms.
An important aspect of a SGP analysis is the comparison of a student’s current year’s score to his or her academic peers. Academic peers are students who have been through the same grade and assessment subject, and who have followed a similar path of scoring growth over time. This comparison is what produces a student’s growth percentile.
The sgpdata package, installed by the SGP software, includes a spreadsheet that displays a student’s SGP data for each of the past five years. Educators can access this spreadsheet by selecting a student in the SGP summary report and choosing the “SGP Data” tab. This spreadsheet displays the SGP data for a student in 5 columns, beginning with the ID and ending with the assessment year.
This spreadsheet contains additional information about a student that is not available in the summary report, including gender and socioeconomic status. It is also useful for districts in linking students to their instructors, as the sgpdata_INSTRUCTOR_NUMBER field in sgpdata identifies instructors by unique identifiers.
While median SGPs have been the primary tool for describing student growth, means are now being recommended as the best summary statistic for assessing student growth. This is because medians are less sensitive to the size and composition of the baseline cohort, and because mean SGPs align better with the Department’s guiding philosophy that all students contribute to accountability results. Furthermore, mean SGPs are more consistent with the notion that all students must improve in order to be successful. As a result, sgpdata is moving away from providing primarily median SGP summaries and is making them available for all students. The change is effective with the release of the 2018-19 MCAS data in November 2018. This means that, for the first time, all students will be able to see their own individual SGP data in the context of their peers.
