Teacher Custom Diagnostic

Interpreting the Data

The Teacher Custom Diagnostic report is similar to the Teacher Diagnostic report and can be interpreted in a similar way. However, there are a few important differences.

First, the students in both reports are placed into three groups based on their achievement levels. In a Teacher Diagnostic report, this placement is based on where each student's achievement level falls in the state distribution for the selected grade and subject or course. In contrast, in the Teacher Custom Diagnostic report, students are placed into three equal groups based on where each student's achievement falls in the distribution of students that you selected.

A simple growth measure is calculated for each group.

• For assessments analyzed with the gain model, the growth measure is the difference between the group's average score in the most recent year and the group's average score the previous year.
• For assessments analyzed with the predictive model, the growth measure is the difference between the group's average exiting score and the group's average expected score.

The Bar Chart

In the chart, the blue bars represent the growth of students in the most recent year. The green line represents expected growth.

Each bar has solid and dotted black whiskers. The solid whiskers mark one standard error above and below the growth measure, and the dotted whiskers mark two standard errors above and below the growth measure. It's important to consider the standard error as you interpret the growth measures represented by the bars on the chart. Consider the overall pattern of the bars rather than focusing on any individual value. However, it can be helpful to keep these guidelines in mind.

A bar that is at least one standard error above the line suggests that the group's average achievement level increased. If the bar is at least two standard errors above the line, the evidence of growth is even stronger.
Likewise, if the bar is at least one standard error below the green line, the group likely lost ground academically, on average. If the bar is at least two standard errors below the line, the evidence is stronger.
Regardless of whether the bar is above or below the green line, if it is within one standard error of the line, the evidence suggests the group's average achievement did not increase or decrease.

Keep in mind that the percentage of instructional responsibility is factored only into the analysis that generates the growth measures on the value-added reports. In contrast, the percentage of instructional responsibility is not included in the calculation of the growth measures in the diagnostic reports. In the diagnostic reports, the growth measure for each group reflects the influence of all teachers who had instructional responsibility in the selected grade and subject or course.

The Pie Chart

The pie chart indicates whether the data suggests that students exceeded, met, or fell short of expected growth.

The colors should be interpreted as follows: