Nevada Growth Model
Overview
Student growth is the amount of academic progress a student has made over time in comparison with his/her academic peers. In Nevada, student growth is determined by calculating Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs).
The Nevada Growth Model website compares schools within the state and within a specified Nevada district using the Median Growth Percentile (MGP), percentage of students that are proficient, and percent of students meeting their Adequate Growth Percentiles (AGPs) on the state’s mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA), and English Language Proficiency assessments. MGPs are determined by identifying the median SGP for the students at a school. The MGP for each school is the measure used for school accountability.
Nevada measures student growth using annual Smarter Balance assessments for:
- Mathematics – 4th grade through 8th grade, and
- ELA – 4th grade through 8th grade
Nevada also measures growth for English Learners (ELs) by administering the WIDA Access Assessment annually to students in 1st grade through 12th grade. The WIDA assessment is administered in order to determine the English language proficiency of students for whom English is not their first language.
Note: ELPA in the Nevada Growth Model refers to the WIDA assessment.
SGPs use historical student assessment data to model how students performed on earlier assessments, how they performed on current assessments, and the level of growth they demonstrated in between, compared with their academic peers. For instance, if a student has an SGP of 75, then that student has shown more growth than 75% of his/her academic peers on a given assessment. This data is used to create growth projections and growth targets, or AGPs, for each student.
In order to determine if a student is making adequate growth toward proficiency, a baseline assessment is given, typically during kindergarten for English Language Proficiency and 3rd grade for mathematics and ELA, or the first year tested in Nevada. Based on the initial assessment, a growth target to proficiency is made and an AGP is calculated to determine how much growth a student needs to make each year to reach or maintain proficiency in a given time frame. The student’s calculated AGP is compared to the student’s SGP for each year’s assessments. This comparison is used to determine if the student is on track to reach or maintain proficiency. If their SGP meets or exceeds their AGP, then the student is making adequate growth toward proficiency. The AGP for Smarter Balance assessments identifies how much a student needs to grow, in math and ELA, in order reach or maintain proficiency in three years or by the end of 8th grade. An AGP for the WIDA assessment identifies how much a student needs to grow in order to achieve proficiency in five years or by the end of 12th grade.
Since student level information on this website (such as individual SGPs and AGPs) are provided as tools for educators, access to the Nevada Growth Model is currently limited to state education professionals with a Bighorn account. For assistance with access to the site, please contact your district’s Student Accountability Information Network (SAIN) representative. To request your SAIN representative contact information, please contact the Bighorn/SAIN Support Help Desk at (775) 687-9199 or email helpdesk@ndoesupport.freshservice.com.