• Measures a student's performance at one single point in time
• Compares student performance to a standard

• Measures a student's growth across time (i.e., school years)
• Compares student performance to the student's own prior performance

By reviewing students' academic performance and growth, buildings and LEAs have a more comprehensive picture of their own effectiveness in raising student academic outcomes.

To understand Missouri's growth model, think of academic growth in terms of a child's physical growth and the growth charts used by a pediatrician. Growth charts are an important tool for monitoring a child's development, but they are just one of the indicators used by the pediatrician to ensure a child is growing at the minimum expected level and on the trajectory to grow as expected. A pediatrician would not use a growth chart in isolation to diagnose a child; however, the growth chart would provide valuable information that might warrant further exploration.

MO DVT displays LEA and building growth data from Missouri's growth model in addition to performance data. This view of student learning provides educators with valuable information to help them meet the academic needs of cohorts of students as well as those of individual students.

MO DVT offers an interactive way to view student growth among Missouri's LEAs and buildings. With this information, educators are better able to:

• Monitor the growth of all groups of students from low-performing to high-performing, ensuring growth opportunities for all students
• Measure student performance as a result of the impact of educational practices, classroom curricula, instructional methods, and professional development
• Make informed, data-driven decisions about where to focus resources to help students make greater growth and perform at higher levels
• Modify and differentiate instruction to address the needs of all students
• Align professional development efforts in the areas of greatest need
• Network with other LEAs and buildings that might yield different growth results
• Identify best practices and implement programs that best meet the needs of their students

MO DVT provides two types of information, growth data on cohorts of students and student-level projection data.

The Missouri growth model analyzes available data from previous years to help evaluate how much cohorts of students have gained in a school year by answering questions such as: Did a group of students make a year's worth of growth for a year's worth of schooling?

The projection data uses existing assessment data to help project into the future by answering questions such as: What is the likelihood that a student will score proficient on a future Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade-Level or End-of-Course assessment? Projection data can be used for intervention planning and resource allocation.

MO DVT is one of the many tools provided to LEAs from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Using all the data available, educators are able to make data-informed instructional decisions to ensure the academic growth and performance of all students.