Data sgp is an important tool for teachers and administrators to use when assessing student growth. It allows for a more detailed, accurate assessment of a students progress than traditional percentage-of-scale scores alone. Data sgp also helps educators to identify and respond to students who may be struggling. It can also be used to determine the effectiveness of a particular teaching style or curriculum.
The SGP calculation is a simple one: current achievement level is determined by the percentile rank of the student’s score in comparison to the percentile ranks of other students who began with similar prior achievement. This method of calculating the SGP is popular because it is intuitively understandable, and it can be applied to a wide variety of assessment formats (Betebenner, 2009). Two additional features of SGPs make them appealing: First, the percentile ranking scale remains familiar and interpretable even if the test scores are not vertically or intervally scaled. Second, ranking students against others with comparable prior achievement is seen as a more equitable way of evaluating both student progress and teacher effectiveness than simply examining unadjusted achievement levels.
In the Star Growth Report, SGPs are calculated for both the current year and a prior window. During report customization, the user can select either a prior or current school year for SGP projections to be made. The lower level SGP functions studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections work with WIDE formatted data; however, higher level wrapper functions that perform more complex analyses require LONG formated data. The decision to use LONG formatted data for operational analyses should be based on a consideration of both preparation and storage time as well as the needs of the specific analysis.
While the SGPS is available for all students in grades 4 through 8 and grade 10, it is particularly useful in evaluating accelerated programs. This is because, by using the median as the class score, SGPs are not influenced by a small number of students who fall behind the rest of the program. This can cause a program’s overall score to deviate from its true value.
To ensure the accuracy of the SGPS, we require all STAR examinees to take a minimum of two assessments in each testing window. In addition, the most recent assessments must be taken in the same classroom and with the same examinees. This process makes sure that the SGPS is consistent with the state’s accountability system and is representative of the overall performance of a school or district. To achieve the best results, districts should focus on implementing strategies to increase students’ performance on the SAT, and also provide appropriate supports for those who need them. This will help all students reach their full potential. Moreover, it will also improve the validity of the state’s accountability system. This is an important part of our ongoing commitment to the success of all Massachusetts students. We are proud to be a partner in this important effort.
