As an educational data analyst, I often assist districts with their educational data analysis and report production. In particular, we help with the construction of student growth plots. Creating these reports requires substantial resources. The bulk of the time required to prepare and run SGP calculations is spent on data preparation. However, once the data is prepared correctly the analyses are fairly straightforward.

Student growth percentiles (SGPs) are a measure of how well students are growing in their subject-matter test scores. The SGP is calculated for a single year of assessment by taking into account a student’s previous test score history. It then compares their current score to the average student with similar test histories. The SGP is then categorized into one of three categories: low, typical, and high. A student whose SGP is low may be struggling academically; a student demonstrating typical growth is likely to maintain their achievement levels; and a student with a high SGP has made great gains in their achievement level.

In order to get the most accurate SGP for a student, it is important to have a complete and up-to-date score record. To accomplish this, districts must be able to access all of the information about each student from all available assessments that have been administered over the course of a student’s life. This includes all previous MAP, M-STEP, and SAT tests that a student has taken. A complete record of this data will allow educators to make the best decision for each student regarding which curriculum to choose, which additional support to provide, and which educational services to offer.

For example, a student who is below grade level in reading or math will need to receive more intensive intervention than a student who is performing at grade level or above. This could mean extra support from a classroom teacher, additional tutoring sessions with a learning specialist or a visit to an outside service provider.

The SGP will also be used for educator evaluations starting in 2022-2023. The mSGP will count for 5% of an educator’s overall rating. However, it is important to remember that a mSGP is not an indicator of the quality of a teacher or principal.

To ensure that the mSGP is based on high-quality data, the SGP will only be calculated for teachers and principals who have met the minimum qualifications for the mSGP. To qualify, teachers and principals must be employed by a district that has implemented the NJSMART program and has completed a summative educator evaluation for all of their educators in the school year for which they are using the mSGP. Additionally, the district must have access to student, teacher and principal data in order for educators to verify their mSGPs. This data will be shared with districts by the NJDOE through the new mSGP Report in the NJDOE Educator Data Portal. Additionally, the mSGP will be included in the NJSMART Full Data Export. This export will include the student, teacher and principal data that will be needed to verify mSGPs for educators.