What Is Data SGP?
Data SGP is a powerful tool that helps teachers measure student learning and identify areas for improvement. The information can be used by educators and administrators in a variety of ways including informing discussions about student achievement, providing support for underperforming students, and informing decisions about school and district resources. It can also highlight educational needs in communities and guide decision-making by local and state governments.
SGP measures student achievement by comparing a student’s current performance to their past performances. It is based on the theory that a student requires a certain amount of student growth points (SGPs) to move from one proficiency level to another. Typically, it takes 10 SGPs to progress from basic performance to advanced. This metric is useful for all students as it provides a common language and understanding of student achievement. It can also be a powerful motivating factor for low performing students as well as provide high achieving students with something beyond proficiency to strive for.
The SGP dashboard contains both individual student SGPs as well as aggregated and disaggregated data at the school, district, and school-wide levels. The individual student level SGP is particularly useful for teachers and parents as it allows them to see the progress that their students are making in a specific content area, while also giving them an opportunity to identify potential barriers to learning. In addition, individual student SGPs can serve as a motivational tool for students to continue to improve.
As with any data set, it is important to understand how the SGP data is organized before using it. To help with this, the SGP data explorer contains detailed explanations of how each field is interpreted and the rules that govern how it is calculated. This can be especially helpful for new users as it will help them avoid common mistakes.
One of the most common mistakes is to assume that SGP data is similar to state assessment results. While some similarities exist, it is important to remember that SGPs are based on student growth over time and are not directly comparable to current or previous state assessment results.
While SGPs can be used to assess individual student performance, they are most commonly used in aggregated form to measure student progress. Average SGPs provide a normative measure of growth and can be used to compare schools, districts, and subgroups within schools or districts. They can also be used to calculate value-added scores, which are incorporated into the state accountability system.
The SGP data set sgptData_LONG contains anonymized assessment data in long format for 3 content areas. This exemplar data set models the format required for use with SGP analyses. The sgptData_LONG data set includes the following variables: VALID_CASE, CONTENT_AREA, YEAR, ID, SCALE_SCORE, GRADE and ACHIEVEMENT_LEVEL. This data is required to run SGP analyses for all students.