Data SGP uses longitudinal student assessment data to generate statistical growth plots (SGPs). An SGP displays relative progress by comparing current test score with past one; they provide a powerful way of communicating to stakeholders that students will reach proficiency within a certain timeframe, regardless of competing priorities or competing priorities for resources. Unfortunately, creating such plots from student test score histories requires complex calculations with large estimation errors that must be overcome to produce accurate graphs.

Districts often face difficulty making their data usable for operational SGP analyses. This issue is compounded by having multiple instructors for each content area, making it more challenging to assign students directly. To address this challenge, the sgpData_INSTRUCTORNUMBER field provides districts with a means of connecting students and instructors through unique identifiers associated with test scores.

The sgpData package offers an exemplar WIDE data set which represents the format required by studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections functions at lower levels, as well as higher-level functions designed to work with data in LONG format which requires less manipulations while remaining compatible with database storage practices.

Calculating SGPs from standard test score histories was once an arduous and time-consuming task that necessitated special software and considerable preparation time for analysis. Thanks to modern technology and open source software, these tasks can now be performed on desktop computers with very limited or no prior software experience required. sgpData offers many functions for manipulating data, including graphical interface and statistical scripting language, making it easier for educators to access, manipulate, and analyze SGP results more quickly and effectively. Schools can customize output according to the needs of stakeholders as a result; making sgpData an indispensable asset in improving educational outcomes.