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On Thursday January 26th, we began our Measure of Academic (MAP) testing. Below is information pertaining to this important district initiative:
What is MAP?
MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) is a set of tests, created by educators and for educators. MAP assessments provide detailed, actionable data about where each child is on their unique learning path. These tests include test items that interest children and help to capture detail about what they know and what they are ready to learn. It is information teachers can use in the classroom to help every child, every day.
Why did the district select MAP?
The purpose of MAP tests is to universally screen students and identify those students who may need additional support in the identified content areas. If large numbers of individual students are found to be in need of additional support (more than 20%), potential system issues (i.e. curriculum, instructional strategies) should be identified, examined and addressed.
What will the results be used for?
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The 2011-2012 testing results will be for piloting purposes only. Winter (January/February) testing data will help us to identify the logistics of this process while the spring testing data (April/May) will assist us in generating reports for summer training purposes.
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The 2012-2013 data results will be used mainly to identify areas of concern in our universal curriculum and to assess our curriculum alignment process.
What tests does MAP offer?
MAP offers four tests in the following curricular areas:
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Reading
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English/Language Arts
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Math
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Science
What is the format of MAP?
MAP tests dynamically adapt to a student’s response as they take the test.
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Answer correctly = more challenging item next
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Answer incorrectly = simpler item next (building back up)
What tests will be offered?
For our initial rollout of MAP (2011-2012), we will only be testing students on the reading and math tests.
When will students be tested?
We will be administering the winter math test during the testing window of January 26 –February 2. In April, we will administer the spring tests for the same students who were tested during the winter testing window, April 23 –April 30. The reading winter test will be administered February 3 –February 10 and the spring tests will be administered from May 1 –May 8.
What are the next steps?
A team of administrators, guidance counselors and teachers were identified for the first round of training to learn more about MAP and to learn about administering the tests. This team met on January 5 for a full-day training institute. From there, final determinations were made regarding testing windows and other various testing needs.
If you have any questions, please contact the Middle School Principal, Jim Hendrickson.
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