The Missouri Assessment Program assesses students’ progress toward mastery of the Show-Me Standards which are the educational standards in Missouri. The Grade-Level Assessment is a yearly standards-based test that measures specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Missouri.

Who takes the Grade-Level Assessment?

All students in grades 3-8 in Missouri will take the grade level assessment. English Language Arts and Mathematics are administered in all grades. Science is administered in grades 5 and 8. A few groups of students may be exempt from certain portions or all of the assessment. Those include:

• Students whose IEP teams have determined that the MAP-A is the appropriate assessment do not have to take the Grade-Level assessment.
• English Language Learners (ELL) who have been in the United States 12 cumulative months or fewer at the time of administration may be exempted from taking the English Language Arts portion. All other content areas must be assessed.
• Foreign exchange students are allowed, but are not required to take the assessment. This is a district decision.
• Homeschooled students may take part in the assessment at the local district's discretion.
• Private school students are not required to take the Grade-Level assessment.

The Missouri Assessment Program-Alternate Assessment (MAP-A) is administered to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who meet grade level and eligibility criteria that are determined by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team using DESE-established eligibility criteria. No student may be tested outside of his or her assigned grade level.

If the MAP-A assessment is given to more than 1% of the total tested population (per content area), the district must provide justification for exceeding the 1% participation rule for Special Education Compliance monitoring purposes.

The MAP-A achievement standards are aligned with Missouri's Learning Standards, and students who take the MAP-A Assessment do not participate in Grade-Level, End-of-Course, or the ACT Assessments. MAP-A uses the Dynamic Learning Map (DLM®) instructionally embedded assessment model.

The MAP-A is administered by educators in three content areas:

• English language arts in grades 3-8 and 11
• Mathematics in grades 3-8 and 11
• Science in grades 5, 8 and 11

NOTE: Districts may wish to also administer the MAP-A ELA and Math assessments to students in grade 9, 10, and 12, and the Science assessment in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 for local assessment use. Please refer to Form EWord Document.

The Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) alternate assessment project offers an innovative way for all students with significant cognitive disabilities to demonstrate their learning throughout the school year via the DLM Alternate Assessment System (see http://www.dynamiclearningmaps.org). By integrating assessment with instruction during the year and providing a year-end assessment, the DLM system maps student learning aligned with college and career readiness standards in English language arts, mathematics, and science.

The DLM system is accessible by students with significant cognitive disabilities, including those who also have hearing or visual disabilities, and/or neuromuscular, orthopedic, or other motor disabilities. Assessments produced by the DLM consortium are flexible. They allow for the use of common assistive technologies in addition to keyboard and mouse and touch-screen technology.