Grade Skippers
The Grade Skippers safeguard in Equity Analytics protects the accuracy of the Low-Performing Students (LPS) subgroup calculation.
Students who advance more than one grade level between school years are automatically excluded from the LPS subgroup. This ensures that only students with comparable grade-level progressions are included when calculating LPS outcomes.
Growth vs. LPS: Students who skip a grade are excluded from the LPS subgroup, but their growth is still calculated if a valid prior-year score exists. The safeguard applies only to LPS subgroup inclusion, not to overall growth results.
Purpose
The LPS subgroup measures how well districts and schools are supporting students who performed at lower proficiency levels in the prior year. For this comparison to remain valid, the model assumes a normal one-grade progression (for example, Grade 4 → Grade 5).
When a student skips a grade, there is no valid one-year comparison available. Their inclusion could create misleading subgroup averages and misrepresent progress. The Grade Skippers safeguard prevents this by excluding those students from LPS calculations.
How Students Are Identified
Each student’s current and prior-year enrollment records are reviewed to determine whether a grade skip occurred.
A student is identified as a grade skipper if their last recorded grade from the previous year is two or more levels below their current grade.
Examples
| Prior-Year Grade | Current Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 6 | Normal progression (included in LPS) |
| 6 | 6 | Retained (included in LPS) |
| 4 | 6 | Grade Skipper (excluded from LPS) |
This logic ensures that both standard progressions and retention cases are included, but grade-skipping students are removed from the LPS subgroup pool.
Why This Matters
By removing grade skippers from LPS calculations, Equity Analytics helps maintain:
- Accurate subgroup comparisons for accountability purposes
- Consistency with MDE’s expectations for student cohort progression
- Fair measurement of student growth for teachers, schools, and districts
Growth values for grade skippers are still calculated and displayed in all applicable reports. The exclusion applies only to LPS subgroup counts and averages.
How the Exclusion Works
-
Included in Growth:
Students who skip a grade still receive growth results when valid prior-year scores exist. -
Excluded from LPS Subgroup:
These students are automatically filtered out of the LPS subgroup to prevent distortion of subgroup performance. -
Visible in Reports:
When grade skippers are excluded, LPS subgroup totals may appear smaller than expected. This is intentional and reflects a more accurate count of students eligible for LPS calculations.
Example Scenario
- A student is currently in Grade 7.
- Their previous enrollment record shows Grade 5.
Because the prior-year grade (5) is two levels below their current grade (7), this student is considered a grade skipper. They will still appear in growth calculations but will not be included in the LPS subgroup.
Troubleshooting
-
Unexpected LPS exclusions:
Verify that the student’s prior-year and current-grade data in your SIS are correct. Students who appear to skip a grade, based on enrollment data, are automatically excluded from the LPS subgroup. -
Lower LPS counts than expected:
This often indicates one or more students advanced multiple grade levels between years. These exclusions are intentional and help ensure subgroup accuracy.
Need Help?
- Email Support: support@equityanalyticsms.com
- Website: https://equityanalyticsms.com