Data SGP is an acronym for “Student Growth Percentile”. It is the metric used to report a student’s progress in a subject area. It is based on the comparison of students with similar starting points (MCAS scaled scores) to determine relative performance. Students can be ranked on a percentile range of 1-99, with higher numbers signifying more progress than lower numbers.
A SGP is based on up to two years of MCAS scaled score histories. A student’s academic peers are compared to their current MCAS scores and a statistical procedure, called quantile regression, is used to determine the percentile rank of the student. The SGP is then reported to the teacher, school, and district as a number between 1 and 99. Students with a SGP of 63 or higher are considered to be making progress – they are improving in the same direction as half of their academic peers who started out at a similar place on the MCAS scale.
Students that are making significant progress are identified by a number of indicators including high SGP, passing grade level requirements, and progress in core subjects, like math, reading, and science. These indicators are then combined to produce an overall multi-year average SGP rating score for the student. The multi-year average SGP is then used as the indicator for a student to be determined as proficient or advanced in that subject area on the student achievement report.
In order to obtain a student’s SGP, the teacher must be in the class for the full year and have valid SGP data for up to two previous years. It is important to note that the SGP data is not comparable across grade levels and teachers and therefore it is difficult to compare one student’s SGP to another.
It is also important to remember that student SGPs are a snapshot of the current achievement of the student. As a result, they are not directly comparable to the state’s proficiency indicators. While it is the intent of MDE to use student growth data in educator evaluations, it is currently recommended by MDE that districts learn about SGPs and begin utilizing them to provide educators with context and guidance on using these data before using them for high stakes purposes such as educator evaluations.
Educators should access their students’ growth data through the BAA secure site and explore the interactive SGP data tools available for each grade level. Each tool provides multiple data points on the bubble chart that can be hovered over with the cursor. Authorized users can also drill down to individual student details that include information such as their multi-year average SGP rating score; the percentage of students in the group achieving a higher or lower SGP; the SGP for each subject area — math, reading, or science; and the number of students in each group.
The data tools are designed to be used with the SGPs in SMART. When using these tools it is essential that all data preparation steps are followed closely. This is critical to ensuring the success of SGP analyses. In most cases, errors that occur during the data analysis process revert back to preparation issues.