Using SGP to Assess Student Growth

Using SGPs to assess student growth requires a set of data in the appropriate format for such analyses. There are two common formats: WIDE and LONG. The sgpData package installed with the SGP package includes exemplar sets in both formats (sgpData_WIDE and sgpData_LONG) to assist users in setting up their data for analysis. The first step in preparing SGP data for use is to convert it to one of these formats.

The sgpData_WIDE data set contains five years of vertically scaled, anonymized assessment data in WIDE format. This exemplar data set models the format of the data used with the lower level studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections functions. The sgpData_LONG data set contains the same information but in the longer LONG format, which is recommended for operation year after year because it simplifies preparation and storage of analyses and the higher level SGP functions all assume that the LONG format will be used.

Both of these data sets contain test results for a single cohort of students over a period of time, and they also include teacher-level data. The teacher-level data includes the teachers’ insturctor numbers and a record of each student’s scores on each test item. This allows teachers to associate different students with the same test item, and it enables researchers to examine the effects of individual teachers on student growth over time.

In addition to the data that is collected at the SGP site, researchers also make use of other sources of atmospheric science data and simulations. These data are gathered by instruments and satellites around the world, as well as at other sites that provide complementary measurements of air quality and other factors that influence climate. These data are used in a wide range of studies, from single observational analyses to multi-observation process modeling to assimilation into Earth system models.

SGP provides a comprehensive array of tools to analyze and visualize atmospheric data, including the ability to perform multivariate statistical tests and to display both graphical and tabular data. It also supports the creation of custom graphs, maps and tables and offers a number of pre-built visualizations for analyzing air quality data, meteorological observations, and weather satellite data. The SGP website also hosts a collection of scientific publications related to the project and links to additional resources for learning more about atmospheric science and SGP. It is an excellent resource for students, educators and scientists. Its data is freely available to all. Its online data catalog is continually expanding and includes data from satellite sensors, field experiments and laboratory experiments conducted at the SGP site. In addition, it includes data from the Global Land Surface Temperature (GLST) network and other global datasets. GLST is the primary source for long-term land surface temperature monitoring data and is supported by a broad international network of cooperators and collaborators. The GLST data is provided free of charge to anyone with access to the Internet. This data is a valuable resource for atmospheric scientists, educators and the general public.