We assess student academic growth in our first through eighth grade cohorts three times a year using NWEA MAP Growth. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) provides teachers with accurate, and actionable evidence to help target instruction for individual students or small groups, and to differentiate instruction in a way that benefits and challenges all of our students. It is very important your child is present, healthy, and well-rested on assessment days.

After assessments, we share MAP® Growth™ assessment results from the current assessment along with growth your child has shown from between assessments. These assessments not only determine your child’s instructional readiness level, but also measure their academic growth throughout the school year in Math and Reading. On the Student Progress Report, you will notice the three bars: one for your student, one for the district which is our school, and one for the national norm. These give a reference to how your child scored compared to peers in our school and in our nation during each of the testing terms (Fall, Winter, Spring). Please note on the results table that the most recent data is at the top. The focus of the parent report is to look at the growth over time.

MAP Growth assessments from NWEA® are unique in that they are adaptive tests taken on a computer or tablet. This means the assessment becomes more difficult when your child answers a question correctly.  When your child answers a question incorrectly, the test becomes easier. Ultimately, your child takes a test specifically targeting their learning level. I tell students, this test is to find out what you know and what you are ready to learn next!  Teachers can use the results to make instructional decisions to better suit the levels of learning in their classrooms.  

Your child’s MAP Growth results are represented as RIT scores (Rasch Unit*). Like inches on a ruler, the RIT scale measures in equal intervals, regardless of a student’s grade—and it remains stable over time. As a result, we can accurately measure students’ growth in between tests and understand if they are performing on, above, or below grade level. RIT scores enable teachers to recognize where to focus attention to optimize your child’s learning and to monitor their progress.  Accompanying your child’s report, you will notice the Quick Reference page. This page offers a guide to reading your child’s progress report.

With our initial implementation of MAPs we are growing in our efforts to utilize student data to strengthen our instructional design to better meet the growth needs of every student. We are looking forward to continuing with this assessment system next year. 

I hope you find these reports informative. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Goldsworthy.  For more information about MAP Growth, visit: NWEA.org/Parent-Toolkit.

RIT: The NWEA MAP Growth test uses 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. RIT scores range from about 100 to 300. Students typically start at the 180 to 200 level in the third grade and progress to the 220 to 260 level by high school. RIT scores make it possible to follow a student’s educational growth from year to year. A Lexile® range is a measure (displayed as a 150-point range) resulting from a correlation between the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Reading RITscore and the MetaMetrics® Lexile scale to assist in identifying level- appropriate reading material for an individual student.