A student’s student growth percentile (SGP) is a measure of how much a student has improved relative to their academic peers. The SGP is calculated by comparing a student’s current assessment score to their previous year’s assessment score.
The goal of the SGP is to provide a more accurate picture of student achievement than traditional test scores, which only tell you how a student performed on a single assessment. While SGPs are based on students’ MCAS scaled score histories, they do not necessarily reflect a student’s current performance or how well they are doing in any one subject area. Because of this, SGPs may shift between years or across subjects.
SGPs are based on historical data, but the data can be volatile and volatile trends are not always clear. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a decline in student growth statewide, but this trend is likely to reverse as students return to school and demonstrate more progress.
In addition to individual student SGPs, average SGPs can be used to analyze the growth of schools and districts. Average SGPs are not normative and can fluctuate as the sample of students included in the calculation changes. In particular, average SGPs at the end of grade 8 and in grades 9 and 10 are influenced by a student’s experiences from those years and should be interpreted with caution.
An important point to remember is that a student’s SGP is a number in a range between 1 and 99. This means that a student’s SGP can be the same as or lower than 85 percent of their academic peers. Because of this, two students with very different MCAS scaled score histories can have the same SGP.
To calculate a student’s SGP, the latest spring assessment score is compared to the previous year’s assessment score. A student’s academic peers are students statewide in their same grade with similar MCAS scaled score histories from previous testing windows. Academic peers are identified from all MCAS data and can include students from a variety of demographic groups, including socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, educational programs (e.g., sheltered English immersion), and disabilities.
The SGP calculation also considers a student’s overall performance, including their performance on non-MCAS assessments. The SGP takes into account the results of all tests that a student has taken during their time in a particular grade.
The SGP model is complex, and OSPI recognizes that the development of resources and training on this tool are a major undertaking for districts and schools. For more information, please see the technical resources on the Student Growth District and School Resources webpage. This page includes video training, examples, and additional technical materials. Additional questions about SGPs and the data used to calculate them can be submitted via email to the Student Growth Help Desk. The SGP Help Desk is available from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. The email address is sgphelp@madison.k12.ma.us. The subject line should read: “Data Questions.” The help desk will respond within 24 hours.