For students, the student growth percentile (SGP) is an important indicator of academic progress. It measures a student’s performance relative to other students with similar prior test scores (the student’s academic peers). Using this method allows us to fairly compare students who enter school at different levels and helps a student demonstrate their progress, even if they are not yet meeting state standards.
In order to run SGP analyses, a computer running the free-of-charge R software environment is required. R is an open source programming language that is available for Windows, Mac OSX or Linux. Detailed instructions for installing and using R can be found on the CRAN website. Running SGP analyses uses advanced R functions that require familiarity with the software environment. For this reason, it is recommended that anyone wishing to use the SGP package take time to become familiar with R.
To begin with, you’ll need access to longitudinal data in the WIDE format. The SGP package includes an anonymized, panel data set sgpData that contains 5 years of annual, vertically scaled assessment data in the WIDE format. This exemplar data set models the format of data used by the lower level SGP functions – studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections. The sgpData_LONG format is also available for SGP analyses, but many of the higher-level functions in the SGP package require the use of long format data and may not be compatible with wide format data.
The sgpData_LONG file includes lookup tables for associating teachers with every test record in the WIDE data set. These tables contain variables like VALID_CASE, CONTENT_AREA YEAR ID SCALE_SCORE GRADE and teacher_id. There are also variables associated with each of the tests included in the sgpData_LONG file, such as VALID_TEST, VALID_INSTRUCTOR_NUMBER and ACTUAL_SCORE.
The main reason for choosing a reputable SGP analysis tool is its ability to provide reliable, valid and consistent results. In addition, a good tool should be easy to use and have an intuitive interface. It should also be flexible enough to allow for future upgrades and new features. Finally, the tool should be able to handle a large quantity of data and produce reports with a variety of formatting options.
SGP is a popular tool for analyzing educational data. It is particularly useful for comparing the achievement of different students in a particular grade or subject. It can also be used to determine the effectiveness of a school or teacher. However, it is essential to remember that SGP does not replace standardized test results and should be used in conjunction with other indicators of student achievement.
The SGP database contains a wealth of information about students in Washington schools. It includes a wide range of assessment data, including state tests, local assessments, and classroom-based measures of student learning. The SGP database is updated regularly and is accessible to educators and researchers. It can also be used to compare student achievement across districts and states. In addition, the database has detailed information about the performance of schools and school systems.