Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs) measure how much a student has improved or progressed over time, not like traditional assessment scores like tests scores that only indicate performance within one year. Instead, SGPs measure student progress over time based on comparison between their current achievement level and that of their peers.
Parent can access SGP reports for every student in their home school and district, providing them with a more complete picture of academic performance for their child. Furthermore, each report offers details on how students in each grade are doing as well as suggestions to enhance performance.
The SGP can be an invaluable asset to educators, administrators and parents alike. Teachers should utilize its data to identify areas of success while targeting students for improvement; administrators can incorporate SGP results into their continuous improvement initiatives.
Although SGPs provide an indication of student performance, they should not be the sole basis of instructional decisions. Students could be making slower gains due to external influences like illness or family events that are not within classroom control; teachers and schools also need to be aware of how SGPs are calculated since this can be confusing for novice users.
Example: Students A and B both achieved equal MCAS test scores in a subject area this year; however, Student A’s SGP differs due to his higher rate of growth than Student B due to SGPs calculating an average from two assessments over time, including at least one from an earlier testing window; SGPs do not account for how different Badger Exam was from WKCE or Forward exams that preceded it.
Interpreting SGPs requires additional consideration as students are not directly measured on a scale of proficiency; rather they are placed into one of three growth levels depending on how much their score increased or decreased since taking previous test administrations. Therefore, when viewing reports it is crucial that this aspect be taken into account.
SGP reports can also provide data that can assist instructors in identifying students enrolled in specific classes or with particular instructors. To do this, click on either “Student count or Growth level,” and you’ll get a list of students matching this criteria – particularly useful when disaggregating by economic disadvantage status and/or special education needs; such information allows instructors to target their instruction on those most needing support.