SGP Vignettes
The main function of the sgp package is to calculate student growth percentiles and growth projections/trajectories using large scale, longitudinal education assessment data. Specifically, the package uses quantile regression to estimate conditional density matrices for each student’s assessment score history and derived from these matrices a student’s growth trajectories and projected levels of achievement.
Growth percentiles are numbers that run from 1 to 99, and they tell you where a student stands in the distribution of students. For example, if a student’s SGP is a 45, that means she performed better than about half of the other students who took the same subject-matter test she did.
When calculating SGPs, up to five years of a student’s score history are used. The first year, called the Badger Year, is omitted from these calculations, but its performance level is incorporated into the test score histories for subsequent years. This allows us to compare a student’s growth trajectories with those of their peers who have similar score histories, even if the students took the same tests at different times.
Using the SGP vignettes in the sgp package to analyze data is intended to be relatively straightforward. However, the bulk of the work in this analysis is in data preparation. This is why we provide a number of tools for preparing and analyzing data in the SGP package. For more details, please consult the sgp vignettes.
The SGP project has worked on collecting and compiling a variety of sedimentary geochemical data from the Neoproterozoic through Paleozoic. This data is used for a range of analyses, from single observation process studies to assimilation into Earth System Models.
In the future, the SGP project may also be used to develop new strategies for vaccines or treatments that can control EBOV infections. Specifically, the sGP protein is thought to be an important target for these therapies. Vaccines or medications that target the sGP protein could potentially prevent the emergence of resistant mutants by blocking the virus’ ability to change its genetic code and evade immune detection.
The SGP project is funded by the National Science Foundation, and the research will continue until EBOV is eradicated. By the end of 2014, SGP hopes to publish papers that will lead to clinical trials and a successful cure for EBOV infection. This is a huge step toward controlling these deadly viruses, which are causing so much grief and suffering around the world. The research results will help bring EBOV and its related diseases under control, protecting people’s health and lives. This is a global public health issue, and we all need to do what we can to eradicate this deadly disease. This is why SGP is such an important initiative. Thank you for your support of this effort! We are proud to be a part of this critical project. Please consider making a donation today! You can also learn more about how you can get involved here.