MAP Assessments

This month we will begin administering the MAP assessments which stand for "Measures of Academic Progress". The MAP assessments will be administered to students in grades K-10 in Reading and Math. Students in grades 3-8 will also take the Science test. These assessments will help us determine our "readiness" as it relates to the Common Core Standards which will be assessed using the PARCC assessments beginning in 2014-2015 for students in grades 3-8. Using the MAP assessments to inform instruction will help our teachers become better teachers and our students become better learners.

What are the MAP assessments?
The MAP is a computerized adaptive test. This means that the assessment can adjust the difficulty of the questions to the level of the student. The test, which has no limit, will start with a set of questions that matched the child's grade level. If the students answers the questions wrong, the computer will pick an easier question next. The rest of the questions will be determined by the child's performance on previous questions.

How are the MAP assessments scored?
Since the MAP is a computerized assessment student scores are generated immediately and full performance data with information about each student's understanding about specific concepts are available within 24 hours. School-wide achievement reports are available within 72 hours of test completion. The score will be called a Rausch Unit (RIT), which is a special type of number scale that measures student achievement. A RIT score will vary from grade to grade as a student grows.

On the reading portion of the MAP, scores called "Lexile Measures" are also given. Lexile Measures score the student's reading ability on a scale from 5 to 2000. By knowing a student's Lexile level a teacher can match the student with a book that is appropriate for his or her level. 

The data from the MAP assessments will be used to support instruction in the following ways:

• Identify the skills and concepts individual students have learned
• Diagnose instructional needs
• Monitor academic growth over time
• Make data-driven decisions at the classroom, school and district levels
• Place students into appropriate instructional programs

What can parents do to help students perform well on the MAP assessments?

• Make sure that your child gets plenty of sleep the night before the test.
• Ensure that your child arrives to school on time.
• Let your child know that the test is important.
• Give your child a healthy breakfast on the day of the test.

For more information on the Map assessments please click on the link below:

NWEA Website