How to Use Massachusetts SGP Data
In order to use SGP data, you need to follow a few key steps: prepare the data, analyze/interpret/write reports. OSPI staff is ready to provide training and support throughout the process.
SGP provides a means of analyzing growth for students at the individual student level by measuring their performance relative to the performance of other students with similar score histories on a particular subject-matter test. In this way, SGP can help identify and track trends for students, and inform decisions on how to best support each student.
Student growth percentiles are calculated by comparing students’ current MCAS scaled scores to their academic peers from previous testing administrations in the same subject area. For example, a student with an SGP of 50 indicates that the student demonstrated growth equal to or greater than half of students who scored comparable on the subject-matter test.
While the average statewide SGP will always be approximately 50 (+/- 1), SGPs for schools and districts are expected to fluctuate because they involve a smaller sample of available data. This is normal and is reflected in the bell-shaped curve of the distribution, which shows that most students will fall within one or more deciles.
In addition to the aforementioned benefits, SGP data also allows for comparisons across multiple schools and districts, as well as across different grades and subgroups within a school or district. In addition, SGPs can be analyzed to show the impact of interventions and strategies on student achievement, providing valuable information for decision making by educators and administrators.
Providing access to reliable and valid SGP data is important for all parties involved in the SGP process, including teachers, parents, administrators, and policymakers. To make this information more accessible, the state is developing a new tool to display SGP data online in a user-friendly format. The tool is intended to be easy to navigate and interactive, with the ability to zoom in and out of data sets. It will also provide a snapshot of the state’s SGP data in a particular time period. In the future, this tool will also allow users to download and export SGP data for further analysis. For more information about the SGP dashboard, please visit http://www.ma.gov/sgp/dashboard.aspx.