The Student Growth Percentile: Why Moderate-Income Districts Teach Just as Well

MA DESE: 'Little correlation between low income and growth.' Student Growth Percentile proves Hopkinton and Dover-Sherborn teach equally well despite $900K home price difference. Growth metrics isolate teaching quality from wealth effects.

Buyers questioning whether moderate-income districts teach as well as wealthy prestige districts.

• •Student Growth Percentile measures year-over-year learning gains, not absolute scores
• •Growth controls for student starting points—isolates teaching quality from demographics
• •MA DESE: 'Little correlation between low income and growth'—teaching independent of wealth
• •Hopkinton and Dover-Sherborn show equivalent growth despite $900K price gap
• •Absolute MCAS measures what students bring; growth percentiles measure what schools add