MAP TESTING
NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress Assessment (MAP) is a formative assessment taken on the computer that measures your child’s skill level in Reading, Language and Mathematics. MAP is an adaptive achievement and growth test.
The MAP assessment is an untimed computerised adaptive assessment. It dynamically adjusts to build a unique assessment for each student by reviewing each student’s responses and selecting a follow up question. Ideally, the student will get about half the questions correct and half incorrect, eventually levelling out to offer an instructional level called a “RIT score”.
MAP assessments are not intended to determine mastery. This RIT score is independent of the age or grade of a student, and reflects the instructional level at which the student is currently performing.
JIS middle school students take the MAP tests twice a year, in September and May. Individual students reports are generated at the end of each testing period and uploaded to PowerSchool for parents and students to access.
How do teachers use the scores?
NWEA MAP measures your child’s progress in school. This data helps teachers track your child’s growth in basic skills, identify strengths and areas for continued focus. Teachers use these scores, along with other measures, to guide instruction in the classroom.
MAP assessments provide one piece of evidence to complement the rich variety of ongoing classroom assessments. Student growth can be monitored throughout the school year and from year to year. As with all assessments, the score should be reviewed in consultation with multiple measures and does not take into account external variables that impact performance (such as illness and motivation).
You can find information on the MAP tests from the NWEA website.
If you have specific questions about your child’s progress, please make an appointment to talk with your child’s classroom teacher. If you have questions about interpreting the MAP report, please contact the middle school office.
What happens in a MAP test?
These are designed to get a snap shot of your current skills and knowledge. The MAP tests pulls from thousands of questions and the questions you will get are different to the questions the people sitting around you will get. MAP tests are adaptive tests, which means the questions will get harder or easier depending on whether you got the previous answer correct or not. The NWEA program aims to get to a place where you answer every second question right so it know what level you are at.
How do students prepare for MAP tests?
MAP tests are not tests which you can study for. So how do you prepare?
Get a good night's sleep
Have a healthy breakfast
drink plenty of water
Make sure your computer is charged
Read the questions carefully and try your best
Students who are absent from school during MAP tests:
Students who are absent from school on the days of the MAP tests will have the opportunity to complete the MAP tests during make-up days which are scheduled in the days immediately after the scheduled dates. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the NWEA assessment platform, students who are absent for the MAP tests and make-up days will not be able to complete the tests during this session.
MAP Reports for Parents.movNWEA MAP TEST: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is NWEA MAP Testing?
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a non-profit organization, produces the recognized Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test. MAP tests take place on the computer and assess students in Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. Many international schools use MAP testing as one of many data points to drive classroom instruction and to target individual student needs.
Q: How is the MAP test administered to students? Is the test timed?
Elementary (both PIE and PEL), Middle School, and High School administer the test on separate dates within a specific time frame. Students will be tested in three or four areas for approximately 45-75 minutes, although the test is not timed. Done over a locked-browser, the test adjusts to the student’s responses, meaning that some children will finish earlier than others.
Q: How is the data used?
MAP data is analyzed by teachers and administrators alongside other data to inform instructional decisions such as student grouping and adjusting teaching and learning methods.
Q: What areas of learning are assessed?
At JIS, students in grades 3-10 are tested in Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. Students at grade 9 and 10 are additionally tested in Science. Each test is adaptive, which means the computer-based test adjusts questions to the individual student’s ability-level.
Q: When will students be tested?
This testing will occur once in each semester for grades 3-10. For school year 2023-2024 JIS students will be tested at various times over these dates:
31 August-8 September (Fall) AND 16-26 April 2024 (Spring).
Q: What happens if a student misses a testing session?
Some students will miss the testing window, this should not be a cause for concern. For students with a short-term absence from school, the school will provide make-up sessions within the week following the missed test. For those returning to school outside of the test window, your child will not have any consequences as teachers will gather data from additional sources about your child’s strengths and weaknesses. And that an additional testing session will occur in the Spring. It is helpful for parents new to JIS to know entry testing will also include portions of the NWEA-MAP test, so teachers will have comparison data for your child.
Q: Does the school store my child’s results?
Yes, the school will add the NWEA-MAP test results to your student’s profile to track progress in teaching and learning over time.
Q: As a parent, do I have access to my child’s results?
As a parent you will receive your child’s test results. In the weeks following MAP testing at JIS teachers will be analyzing the results and you will receive a MAP report. A sample and resource for understanding the content of the report is found here in English and Bahasa Indonesia. This resource is in additional languages here.
Q: Is MAP a “high- stakes” test?
No. High-stakes testing is often a single data point on which the student’s future educational decisions rest. MAP is not used as a single data point by JIS, but one of many data points that support rigorous and reflective learning.
Q: What can I do as a parent to help my child be successful on the MAP test?
Encourage your child to make their best efforts during the test. This test is adaptive, which means your child will be asked questions about material that is both below their level and above their level. They may not have covered some material prior to the test, this should not be a source of stress, but an indicator that the test is adapting and testing the limits of your child’s understanding.
Updated August 2023