MAP testing:  Fall, Winter, and Spring for all!  What exactly does that mean? 

Specific dates and testing times are available through your classroom teacher.  The assessing will begin on April 29th, 2013.  There will be a short make-up window if your child is absent during the assessment.

We are in the midst of using NWEA’s Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) to gauge each student’s current level of performance in the areas of reading and math.  This is a multifaceted, computer-based assessment that pinpoints each child’s ability.  The assessment becomes increasingly more challenging as students respond correctly and simplifies when students respond incorrectly.  The exactness of this assessment gives the educators at Country Meadows valuable information about each student.

We look at each student’s overall RIT score in reading and math to measure progress.  This fall score was a benchmark to which we measure your student’s growth.  The MAP assessment will give us a projected score for each student to achieve by spring.  The goal is for each student to make at least one year’s worth of growth by hitting the projected target that the assessment provides.  Our winter assessment will provide us with valuable information about the academic growth that each student is making so teachers can continue to challenge all students. 

We will meet or exceed each student’s targeted growth by analyzing strengths and weaknesses that are identified by the assessment.  Score reports will detail categories in which students are excelling and need more support, in both reading and math.  

The most exciting part of the assessment is watching students challenge themselves.  Since each student receives a growth target that is unique to his or her academic achievement, each student is working to his or her own goal.  Students are thrilled when they work hard and as a result, see the RIT score soar!  Yet, the assessment will give us comparative information as well.  A national percentile is provided in both reading and math for each child.  This percentile tells us our students’ performance relative to other students in the nation. 

As this assessment is completed and score reports are analyzed, you will be provided with information about your student.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about the assessment, how it is administered, and how the information is used, please do not hesitate to contact me.