Fall MAP Testing

I am pleased to inform you that our school has returned to administering the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test in the fall as well as the spring. This decision is in response to teacher & parent requests for this data. It also reflects the school’s commitment to working with the most current student data to provide an accurate understanding of our students' academic readiness and to ensure they receive the support they need to succeed.

Unlike traditional tests, MAP tests are adaptive and taken online. This adaptive format means that the difficulty level of the questions adjusts automatically based on the student's answers to previous questions. By tailoring the test to the individual student, we can obtain a more accurate assessment of their knowledge and skills.

MAP tests have been normed against results from over 11 million students attending more than 24,000 schools in 140 countries worldwide. This extensive norming process ensures that the results have a high degree of statistical reliability.

Our teachers utilize these test results alongside classroom assessment data to make informed instructional decisions and identify areas of student learning growth. By combining the general insights gained from MAP tests with ongoing classroom assessments, teachers can better understand each student's strengths and areas that require additional support.

We encourage you to review the MAP Student Progress Report being sent to your parent school Gmail inbox this week. The report, along with the supporting explanation page, will help you understand information about your child’s performance and growth in various subject areas (Math, Reading & Language). The school administers the science test annually.  It is an excellent opportunity for you to engage in conversations about their academic progress and set goals for the future.  

As you look at the report you may see variations in scores between the spring and fall testing periods can be attributed to several factors, such as:

• Changes in learning environment or additional summer learning experiences: The transition between school years, summer breaks, and changes in instructional methods can all influence student performance.  At the risk of oversimplifying, it may be that a student who attended summer classes may improve their scores in some areas, and a student who did not engage academically during the summer may see dips in some scores.  It is important to remember that the scores as they are provide a present indicator of student readiness for learning that teachers will use to inform instruction.

• Developmental Growth: Students may develop skills and knowledge at different rates, impacting their scores. Learning is very individual, depending on what knowledge, experience, and attitudes a student brings to each specific learning or testing experience.

• Test familiarity and comfort level of students: As students become more accustomed to the testing format and environment, their comfort level can affect their performance.

October Calendar

October 13 - October 17

(Elementary "A" Week)