Grade Skippers and Retained Students

The Grade Skippers and Retained Students safeguard in Equity Analytics ensures that the Low-Performing Students (LPS) subgroup is calculated using prior academic cohorts based on scale score history.

LPS eligibility is determined using a student’s prior-year scale score, which assigns the student to an accountability cohort. This approach allows both retained students and grade skippers to be included and ranked fairly based on their prior academic performance.

Cohort-Based Ranking: LPS students are grouped using prior-year scale score bands, not strictly by current grade level. This ensures all eligible students are compared to peers with similar prior performance.

Purpose

The LPS subgroup measures how well schools and districts support students who performed at lower levels in the prior year.

To ensure fair comparisons, students are grouped into cohorts based on their prior-year scale score, regardless of whether they:

This cohort-based approach allows all students with valid prior-year scores to be included in LPS calculations.

How LPS Cohorts Are Determined

Each student is assigned to an LPS cohort based on their prior-year scale score band, which corresponds to the next academic progression level.

Cohort Grade Prior Scale Score Band
Grade 4 Cohort 300–399
Grade 5 Cohort 400–499
Grade 6 Cohort 500–599
Grade 7 Cohort 600–699
Grade 8 Cohort 700–799
Grade 10 Cohort 800–899

Students are ranked within the cohort that matches their prior-year scale score.

Retained Students

Students who repeat a grade remain eligible for LPS and are grouped according to their prior-year scale score.

Example

Prior-Year Grade Current Grade Prior Scale Score Cohort Result
6 6 599 Grade 6 Cohort Included in LPS

Although the student was retained, their prior scale score places them in the Grade 6 cohort, and they are ranked accordingly.

Grade Skippers

Students who skip one or more grade levels are also included in LPS calculations.

Their cohort assignment is based on prior-year scale score, not the number of grades skipped.

Example

Prior-Year Grade Current Grade Prior Scale Score Cohort Result
6 8 621 Grade 7 Cohort Included in LPS

Even though the student skipped Grade 7, their prior scale score determines their cohort placement.

This ensures fair ranking based on academic performance rather than enrollment progression.

School and Teacher Attribution Rules

Students are only included in LPS calculations for schools and teachers responsible for their current grade level.

Even if a student’s prior scale score falls within a valid cohort band, the student must be enrolled in a grade served by the school and taught by the teacher to be included in LPS ranking.

School Attribution

School Grades Student Grade Prior Scale Score Result
K–5 Grade 4 499 Included
6–8 Grade 6 699 Excluded
6–8 Grade 7 799 Included
7–12 Grade 8 899 Included
10–12 Grade 8 899 Excluded
10–12 Grade 10 899 Included

Even if a prior scale score falls within a valid cohort band, students must be enrolled in a grade served by the school to be included.

Teacher Attribution

Teacher Grades Student Grade Prior Scale Score Result
5th Grade Teacher Grade 5 499 Included
5th Grade Teacher Grade 5 521 Excluded

Even if a prior scale score falls within a valid cohort band, students must be enrolled in a grade taught by the teacher to be included.

Why This Matters

This cohort-based approach ensures:

By grouping students based on prior performance rather than enrollment progression alone, Equity Analytics provides a more accurate and fair LPS calculation.

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