Data sgp is a free and open source software package for R, a statistical environment. The program is designed to support educational research and evaluation with a focus on student learning and growth. Running analyses within the sgp package requires a computer equipped with R, which is available for Windows, OSX, and Linux. Analyses that utilize the sgp package are intended to be as simple and straightforward as possible.
The data sgp package includes a series of vignettes that illustrate how to use the various functions and tools available within the package. Each vignette describes the required steps to set up and run a specific analysis, including setting up the necessary environment and preparing the data for use. The vignettes also explain the assumptions and constraints that are applied to each analysis, as well as the results that can be expected.
In addition to the vignettes, the data sgp package contains a number of tables and files that can be utilized in an analysis. One of the most important is the sgpData_INSTRUCTOR_NUMBER table, an anonymized lookup table that provides instructor information associated with each student test record. This can be useful for teachers and administrators in finding instructors who have taught similar content areas for multiple testing years.
Among the most powerful features of data sgp is its ability to provide projections of what future achievement levels (or growth standards) may be for each student. This information can be used by teachers to help inform future instruction, and for students to track their progress toward an official state achievement target.
In order to calculate a student’s projected achievement level, SGP utilizes a student’s historical growth trajectories and estimates how much more growth is needed for the student to reach the desired achievement level. This is done by comparing the student’s current MCAS score to the performance of other students with comparable score histories on that subject-matter test. For example, a student who has a 5th grade MCAS score that is near the 90th percentile will be projected to have a higher 6th grade MCAS score than 90% of students with similar score histories on that test.
When the sgpAchievementPlot function is executed a graph is produced showing the projected MCAS scores for each student along their current growth trajectory. The resulting graph can be filtered to view only those students with the specified MCAS growth rate. This is an important feature that can be utilized by educators to identify students who require additional supports in reaching their MCAS goals. In addition, this report can be filtered to show only those students who have reached their MCAS goal (or close to it). This is a great tool for schools and districts to share with stakeholders.