The data sgp package contains 4 examplar data set for use with Student Growth Percentile (SGP) analyses. The first, sgpData, specifies data in the WIDE format that’s used with lower level SGP functions such as studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections. The second and third, sgpData_LONG and sgptData_LONG, specify data in the LONG format used by higher level SGP functions such as prepareSGP and analyzeSGP. Finally, sgpData_INSTRUCTOR_NUMBER provides a teacher-student lookup table utilized to produce teacher level aggregates.
The SGP method is unique in that it utilizes historical growth trajectories to map out what range of grades the student could potentially reach by the end of their time in school and how much student-level progress would be needed to achieve those trajectories. This allows educators to understand what the expected growth of a student is likely to be, and what needs to be done to make sure that the student reaches their target proficiency in the most timely fashion possible.
SGP also stands out from competing methods in that it allows educators to communicate to stakeholders that the goals/targets for student achievement must be reached within a specific time frame. This helps schools explain to their community that the time it will take for students to achieve proficiency is a matter of fact, and not an arbitrary deadline imposed by the state.
In the Star Growth Report, educators can access an even more detailed SGP spreadsheet for each student by selecting a student and choosing the “SGP Data” tab. This sgpData spreadsheet displays the SGP for the selected student over five years of annual, vertically scaled assessment data. The first column, ID, provides the student’s unique identifier and the next 5 columns, SS_2013, SS_2014, SS_2015, SS_2016, and SS_2017, provide the assessment scores for each of those five years.
Using sgpData and other WIDE format data sets with the SGP package is, in general, quite straight forward. However, there are some subtleties when utilizing the wide format. We recommend consulting the SGP data analysis vignette for more comprehensive documentation on how to use sgpData and WIDE formats with SGP.
The sgpData_LONG and SgptData_LONG data sets are designed to facilitate the use of state-level SGP functions with a minimum of manipulation. These data sets are designed to store state-level SGP meta-data, including the embedded SGPstateData metadata. These data sets are recommended for use with operational analyses, especially those that require updating analyses with additional years of data. All of the higher level SGP functions are designed to use these long format data sets. If you have questions about how to use these data sets, please consult the SGP data analysis vignette or the SGP package documentation.