MAP: Measures of Academic Progress
Maple Avenue Middle School
Why MAP?
Within the first few weeks of the school year, your student participated in an assessment called Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®). We give students MAP tests to determine your child’s instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of Reading and Math. Your student utilized his/her Chromebook or iPad for this assessment.
Children learn better—and faster—when teachers have a clear picture of what each student knows and is ready to learn next. That’s why a group of educators and researchers founded NWEA®, a not-for-profit organization that has created some of the most trusted and reliable assessment solutions available. More than 9 million students in the US and in 140 countries worldwide use MAP® Growth™.
MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your student’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. And with MAP tests, we can administer shorter tests and use less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s growth.
We are truly excited to begin a new era that focuses on every child’s individual growth and achievement. Partnering to help all kids learn, parents and teachers can have a profound positive effect on the lives of our children.
Student Goal-Setting & Conferences
How can I help?
How to Read My Student's Progress Report: Reference Guide
Here is a Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
MAP® is a computer adaptive test created by NWEA™ that students take three times per school year. The results provide teachers with information to help them deliver appropriate content for each student and determine each student’s academic growth over time.
2. What does it mean to be computer adaptive?
Computer adaptive tests adjust to each student’s learning level, providing a unique set of test questions based on their responses to previous questions. As the student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty.
3. What does MAP measure?
MAP is used to measure a student’s performance level at different times of the school year and their academic growth.
4. What is a RIT score?
After each MAP test, results are delivered in the form of a RIT score that reflects the student’s academic knowledge, skills, and abilities. Think of this score like marking height on a growth chart. You can tell how tall your child is at various points in time and how much they have grown between one stage and another. The RIT (Rasch Unit) scale is a stable, equal-interval scale. Equal-interval means that a change of 10 RIT points indicates the same thing regardless of whether a student is at the top, bottom, or middle of the scale, and a RIT score has the same meaning regardless of grade level or age of the student. You can compare scores over time to tell how much growth a student has made.
5. How do schools and teachers use MAP scores?
MAP helps schools and teachers know what your child is ready to learn at any point in time. Teachers can see the progress of individual students and of their class as a whole. Principals and administrators can see the progress of a grade level, school, or the entire district. Since students with similar MAP scores are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics, it makes it easier for teachers to plan instruction. MAP also provides typical growth data for students who are in the same grade, subject, and have the same starting performance level. This data is often used to help students set goals and understand what they need to learn to achieve their goals. Please note that MAP scores are just one data point that teachers use to determine how a student is performing. Please discuss any questions that you have about your child’s performance with your child’s teacher.
6. What subjects are available with MAP?
There are MAP tests for grades 2 – 12 in reading, language usage, math, and science. There are also primary grades tests for grades K – 2, referred to as MAP for Primary Grades (MPG), in reading and math. With these child-friendly tests for young learners, students wear headphones, since many questions include audio to assist those who are still learning to read. (At LASD, MAP is given to students K-8 in math and reading)
7. How long is a MAP test?
Tests are not timed, and students may take as much time as they need to complete them (this eliminates some of the pressure and anxiety students may feel about taking tests). Most students take less than an hour to complete a MAP test. MPG tests are typically shorter.
8. Is MAP a standardized test?
How is it different from “highstakes” or state tests? MAP tests are interim assessments, which means they may be given periodically during the year. MAP is based on the same standards as the summative (“high-stakes” or state) tests, so they measure similar content. Teachers receive immediate results with MAP that show what students know and what they are ready to learn. The results can be used to help personalize lessons at the appropriate level for the students. Most state or high-stakes tests measure what students already know—based on what is expected at their grade level—and are typically given at the end of the school year as a way to measure grade-level proficiency.