The ARM SGP observatory features several instrument sites, each providing unique data about atmospheric environments. ARM’s Data SGP System then collects this information and sends it onward to be analyzed at its center and made accessible via their Data Discovery portal for research communities worldwide.

SGPs are calculated based on historical performance of students across Washington State with similar MCAS score histories (academic peers). Academic peers refers to those within the same grade and assessment subject who have had statistically similar previous Star scores and do not include demographic groups or programs like special education or sheltered English immersion. They are calculated using two years’ worth of test data along with quantile regression techniques that place academic peer performances onto normative scales.

Educators can access Student Growth Dashboards in their E-Portals to view SGPs of individual students in their classes, or groups of students by using Group SGP Dashboards.

Though a student’s SGP can provide insight into their academic progress relative to peers, it should be remembered that percentile rankings change every year and so differences should not be misinterpreted as signifying whether the student has advanced or declined academically. Furthermore, due to changes in calculation methodologies or assumptions used by districts or school systems comparing their students with the SGPs of other districts may lead to misleading comparisons which lead to unfair assessments.

The sgpdata package offers four sample data sets for use with SGP analyses. The first, sgpData_LONG, provides data in wide format used with lower level SGP functions such as studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections; two other datasets named sgptData_LONG and sgptData_LONG_SUMMARIES provide long-form output suitable for more sophisticated SGP functions like prepareSGP and analyzeSGP respectively; finally there’s another dataset, called sgptData_LONG_INSTRUCTORNUMBER which serves to create teacher level aggregates using prepareSGP or summarizeSGP functions respectively.

The SGPData package includes supporting documentation and resources designed to assist schools in understanding both their own student growth percentiles as well as those calculated for all Washington students by OSPI. A video explains student growth percentiles on the SGP Overview page; additionally there are SGP Guides for Administrators, Educators and Parents as well as an SGP Overview page; this additional information supports effective use of student growth percentiles within educational practices and continuous improvement processes. If you require any assistance please reach out to OSPI’s SGP Team directly