Druid Hills High School
Community Week at a Glance - August 21
MAP Testing for 9th and 10th Grade Students - FAQ
What is the MAP NWEA Assessment?
MAP— NWEA’s computerized adaptive tests are called Measure of Academic Progress, or MAP. When taking a MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level.
What are NWEA assessments used for?
NWEA assessments are used to measure your student’s progress or growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child’s height at certain times, such as on his or her birthday. This is a growth chart. It shows how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. NWEA assessments do the same sort of thing, except they measure your student’s growth in mathematics, reading, language usage, and science skills. The scale used to measure your child’s progress is called the RIT scale (Rasch unIT).
DCSD utilizes MAP as the initial assessment towards gifted identification each school year for students in grades K-10. Students who score > 90% RT (Reading Total) or > 90% MT (Math Total) on the nationally norm-referenced assessment (MAP) will take additional gifted formal evaluations.
What is RIT?
Tests developed by NWEA use a scale called RIT to measure student achievement and growth. RIT stands for Rasch UnIT, which is a measurement scale developed to simplify the interpretation of test scores. The RIT score relates directly to the curriculum scale in each subject area. It is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, so scores can be added together to calculate accurate class or school averages.
What subjects does MAP assess?
We are using the MAP tests in the area of mathematics, language usage and reading assessments.
How do teachers use the test scores?
NWEA tests are important to teachers because they keep track of progress and growth in basic skills. They let teachers know where a student’s strengths are and if help is needed in any specific areas. Teachers use this information to help them guide instruction in the classroom.
How long does it take to complete a test?
Although the tests are not timed, it usually takes students about one hour to complete each test.
When will my student be tested and how often?
DCSD tests their students three times a year (August/September, January/February, April/May)
Do all students in the same grade take the same test?
No. NWEA assessments are designed to target a student’s academic performance in mathematics, reading, language usage. These tests are tailored to an individual’s current achievement level. This gives each student a fair opportunity to show what he or she knows and can do. If a school uses MAP, the computer adjusts the difficulty of the questions so that each student takes a unique test.
What are some ways that I can help my child prepare for this test?
- Make sure that your child is well rested on school days and especially the day of a test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of a test.
- Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
- Provide books and magazines for your child to read at home. By reading new materials, a child learns new words that might appear on a test.
Class Night - August 30 - 5-7pm - Cafeteria
Class Night serves as the initial float building planning meeting for both parents and students. Please consider serving as a parent volunteer - tasks range from bringing snacks to float building, to supervising students, to hosting float building activities.
Please also encourage your student to serve on the float building committee. The spirit and friendships forged by this experience are priceless!
PSAT
PSAT exam registration for Fall 2017 will begin August 21, 2017 for the PSAT test being administered on Wednesday, October 11, 2017. DCSD covers exam fees for first-time 10th grade students. The exam fees are $18 for other DHHS students and $20 for non-DCSD students.
Students are able to register at the following website https://user.totalregistration.net/PSAT/110162.
For questions regarding the PSAT registration, contact Mr. Alexander or Ms. Mills.
This Week
Monday, August 21
EOC Mid Month thru 8/25
Fall Map Assessment Testing thru 9/27
V Sball @ Galloway 5:30p
Tuesday, August 22
SAT Tutoring 3:30p
Vball @ Paideia 5p
XC 5:15 DHMS
JV Sball @ Tucker 5:30p
V Sball vs Salem @ DHHS 5:30p
Thursday, August 24
JV/V Vball v Heritage 5p
JV Sball @ Decatur 5:30p
V Sball @ Salem 5:30p
Friday, August 25
V Fball vs Columbia @ Godfrey 7:30p
Saturday, August 26
Mock ACT 205A 9-1:30p
Druid Hills High School
Email: Brittany_Cunningham@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: http://www.druidhillshs.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: (678) 874-6302
Phone: (678) 874-6302
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/druidhillshighschoolgaofficial/?fref=ts
Twitter: @druidhillshigh