Testing NWEA MAP

One of the most important questions that a teacher must ask of themselves is: “What have my students learned?” Hour by hour, often minute-by-minute, good teachers assess how well their students are mastering skills and content. 

Mt. Vernon Township High School’s teachers assess their students in myriad ways that reflect their own expertise and the richness of the curriculum. 

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is created by Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). The MAP test is a wonderful example of how technology can radically transform educational practice for the better, by measuring each individual student’s growth.

Multiple times a year the students will take the online MAP assessment in math, reading and language arts. The MAP test is adaptive: the questions will adjust in difficulty to the student’s answers. Thus at the end of the 40-minute testing period, we will have a very clear view of skills and content that the student has mastered, is in the process of mastering, or has not yet learned.

For teachers this form of assessment is revolutionary. Almost immediately they will receive detailed and very concrete feedback on student learning. This feedback will give them a rich analysis of each student’s own learning patterns, their strengths and their areas for growth. The MAP gives the teacher an unprecedented opportunity to differentiate learning for each student.

The MAP is a nationally normed assessment. 

Our students will take the tests in grades 9 through 11. The school has invested heavily in professional development for the faculty on how to use the data that the MAP test provides to improve student attainment, and the faculty is excited about this addition to our program. Teachers will share this data with parents.

The MAP will help us nurture and guide the growth in student learning through the year, and as such is one more tool that we can provide to our teachers to help them answer that crucial question: “What have my students learned?”