A data sgp is an aggregation of student assessment records for a single academic year. The data sgp can be used to create a variety of analyses including student growth percentiles, projections, trend plots and comparing results to other schools and districts. The SGPdata package, installed when you install the SGP software, includes exemplar WIDE and LONG format data sets (sgpData and sgpData_LONG, respectively) to assist you in setting up your data for use with SGP analyses.
Student growth percentiles are calculated for students based on their performance relative to the performance of their academic peers across the state. This comparison is made by referencing academic peer groups that have been identified using historical MCAS scaled score data from previous years for each student. These peer groups are derived from multiple sources including demographics (gender, income), educational programs (e.g. sheltered English immersion, special education) and the performance of similar students on previous MCAS administrations in subject areas.
SGP is reported on a 1-99 scale with higher numbers indicating greater relative student growth. Student growth percentages are provided for each student in the state each year following completion of the statewide assessments. These reports are available at the teacher, school and district levels. Additionally, average student growth percentiles are computed and displayed for each school, district and student subgroup (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status).
It is important to note that the SGP percentiles are based on up to two years of historical MCAS data and that the percentages change over time due to changes in the normative scales for the different grades/subgroups. As a result, it is difficult to compare percentile differences from year to year with great accuracy. As a general rule, a difference of 10 points or more between SGPs from two different years should be considered significant.
As with all analysis work, most of the effort associated with SGP calculations is spent in the initial preparation and processing of the data. Once this is completed, the actual calculations and analyses are relatively simple and straightforward. Almost all errors that are encountered during SGP calculations revert back to issues in the initial data preparation.
The NJDOE links district course roster submission data through the summer of each year with relevant SGP scores for teachers to calculate each teacher’s mSGP. The mSGP is then used in the educator evaluation process to help identify the teachers that need improvement. We recommend that districts and individual teachers review their mSGP reports carefully and discuss with supervisors any discrepancies. Those who are not meeting the high standards for growth should be engaged in a dialogue with the superintendent, principal or other senior staff about the actions that need to be taken to improve. Those that are making progress should be congratulated and celebrated. Those who need additional support should be referred to the professional learning community for further guidance. In short, we recommend that all teachers and districts utilize the SGP data to focus on identifying those students who need more support and to implement effective instructional practices in their classrooms.