Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) measure relative student performance, providing educators with an easy way to identify which students are progressing at an acceptable pace and which require extra assistance. SGPs are calculated based on historic MCAS performance and compare a student’s current MCAS score with that of their academic peer group, using quantile regression – a statistical method which places these scores on a normative scale and thus allows educators to pinpoint a student’s percentile rank. Furthermore, demographic groups like gender and income as well as educational programs like sheltered English immersion and special education are taken into account within this model.
An SGP (Student Growth Points) score ranges from 1-99 and measures the relative growth of students across subjects and grades based on up to two years’ historical MCAS data. A student’s spring 2024 SGP will be compared with academic peers that performed similarly on MCAS tests taken that same school year and grade, representing all Massachusetts schools and districts.
SGP data not only describes relative growth rates for each student, but it also offers insight into possible future growth trajectories. Educators can use this information to inform instruction for those students with low SGP scores. In particular, educators use SGP information to pinpoint areas where performance falls below expectations and offer targeted support to address gaps.
Noticing SGPs incorrectly can be misleading. While a student’s SGP may appear to have increased or decreased, remember that percentile rankings are calculated annually and should be interpreted with care. A difference of few points should not be considered significant and usually falls within the average difference between years.
Educators should always ensure they understand exactly what a Student Growth Profile measures and its calculations, along with its limitations in terms of data sources and reference groups used to calculate scores. SGPs shouldn’t be seen as sole indicators of student achievement as they don’t give insight into non-academic skills like social-emotional learning or creativity.
SGPs can be used in many ways to evaluate teachers’ effectiveness, from being included as part of teacher evaluations as a part of teacher practice score and student growth percentile portion, to monitoring progress towards meeting state goals such as learning or college/career readiness goals.
To accurately report on a teacher’s SGP, districts must submit accurate course rosters to NJ SMART. Once submitted, these rosters will be linked with each course in which a teacher is enrolled as well as any applicable mSGP scores associated with it and combined with student practice scores and SGO scores to produce their SGP report – this process is described in more depth by NJDOE in their documentation for this metric.