How is performance measured in this tool?

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Performance is measured by the Mean Scale Score achieved on Ohio State Tests. Rather than looking at a single year's "growth" percentage, this tool analyzes the absolute achievement levels of specific student profiles over time. This allows you to see the actual achievement ceiling reached by students under different service models.

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What is a "Best Match"?

 

A Best Match is the instructional management model whose achievement is statistically higher than the profile-specific "No Service" group. See a more detailed breakdown on the Definitions page. 

 

What is the "Identified - No Service" group?

 

This is the baseline for comparison. These are students officially identified as gifted in a subject who receive no coded specialized services. See a more detailed breakdown on the Definitions page. 

 

What is the "Performance Gap"?

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The performance gap is the difference between a specialized service and the "No Service" baseline. 

 

How is N defined in this tool?

 

In this longitudinal framework, n represents "Exposure Events." Because we analyze several years of data, each academic year a student receives a service is treated as a distinct exposure. Therefore, n reflects the total volume of service delivery instances analyzed rather than a simple headcount of unique students.

 

How is the "Best Match" filtered?

 

To ensure the dashboard provides reliable, high-integrity recommendations:

1. The Best Match: The top-ranked model classified as a confirmed Match (statistically higher than the profile baseline at a 95% confidence level). When no model meets this threshold, the tool reports "No Confirmed Match."

2. Interference Suppression: Models classified as Instructional Interference (statistically below the profile baseline) are coded in red as a warning.

3. Reliability Filter: Any model with fewer than 10 exposure events (n < 10) for a specific profile is suppressed to protect student privacy and ensure statistical stability.

4. District Context: This tool uses four terrain categories: Rural, Small Town, Suburban, and Urban, based on Ohio's EMIS district typology codes. Select the category that matches the student's district to ensure the comparison is made against the correct profile-specific baseline.

 

What do the District Context categories mean?

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This tool classifies Ohio districts into four terrain types based on Ohio's EMIS district typology codes:

• Rural (TYPE_CODE 1–2)

• Small Town (TYPE CODE 3–4)

• Suburban (TYPE CODE 5–6)

• Urban (TYPE CODE 7–8)

 

Each terrain represents a distinct educational environment with its own demographic profile and service landscape. Earlier versions of this research combined Small Town and Suburban into a single category; the current version treats them separately because they differ meaningfully in racial composition, rates of economic disadvantage, and baseline achievement levels. Select the category that most accurately reflects the student's district.

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How are services color-coded?

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• Green indicates a confirmed Match (Achievement Lift). Gray indicates Neutral (no significant difference from baseline).

• Red indicates Instructional Interference.

• Purple highlights the "Identified - No Service" baseline row itself wherever it appears in the comparison list.

 

The full explanation is available on the tool's Definitions & How-To page.

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Why does the tool show only Single-Model services in the subject rankings?

 

Earlier versions of this research grouped similar programs for simplicity. However, this tool conducts a Precision Audit. Each subject panel ranks services delivered as a single instructional model so the comparison reflects what that specific service does for that subject. Students who receive multiple stacked services are analyzed separately in the Stacking card, which compares profile-level achievement under integrative versus single-model programming. The Single-versus-Stacked contrast is itself an analytical finding, the same service model can produce different outcomes depending on whether it is delivered alone or combined with other services. 

 

What is the difference between 205xxx and 206xxx codes?

 

This distinction identifies who is leading the instruction:

• 205xxx series (e.g., 205062) represents services provided by a regular classroom teacher.

• 206xxx series (e.g., 206060) represents services where a Gifted Intervention Specialist (GIS) is directly involved with the student.

 

Comparing these allows you to see the statistical impact of specialized teacher training on student scale scores. The description for each type of service is on the Definitions and How-To page.

 

How is Self-Contained identified in the data?

 

Self-Contained is the only service model in this tool that is not identified through an EMIS program code. The Ohio EMIS manual does not include a program code for Self-Contained gifted classrooms; instead, Self-Contained placement is identified through course-level enrollment data, specifically, students enrolled in courses with student population codes GE or GA. Any student in a GE/GA-coded course is classified as Self-Contained for that academic year, regardless of any program codes also on their record.

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Why does the Definitions page list services that don't appear in my rankings?

 

The definitions page describes every service category recognized in Ohio EMIS, including a few that exist in the data but are currently suppressed in the dashboard for low population. Specifically, AP Course, AP Course (GIS), Early Entrance to Kindergarten (GIS), and Innovative Services (GIS) are real EMIS service categories used by some Ohio students, but no profile cell currently has 10 or more exposure events in those models. To protect student privacy and avoid unstable statistics, those services are temporarily excluded from the rankings. As the dataset grows, they may become available.

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How does the tool support "Twice-Exceptional" (2e) students?

 

Students with both giftedness and a disability (SWD) often have their potential masked by their disability. This tool uses real-world achievement data to reveal which models successfully "unmask" that potential. By using the SWD Status filter, you can identify which instructional settings allow 2e students to reach the highest scale scores.

 

Why isn’t there a "Select All" option for Race?

 

The Best Match tool is designed to prevent the "averaging out" of student experiences. A "Select All" option would produce results mirroring the majority population, masking the unique achievement gaps and successes of culturally diverse learners. This tool forces the question: "What provides the best instructional lift for THIS specific student?"