Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)

 

Our district is now using a wide-scale benchmarking assessment of student learning. The use of MAP is the result of a review of our district’s comprehensive assessment program of student learning where we categorized all assessments using the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s four types of assessment: diagnostic, formative, benchmark, and summative. One finding of our review was that we did not have in place a benchmark assessment that can provide teachers with data about each student’s learning that could, in turn, be used to guide instruction in the areas of reading and mathematics. Additionally, we were interested in longitudinal data about a student’s progress in the areas of reading and mathematics, in conjunction with the state standards.

Following a rigorous vetting process of benchmarking assessments, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a growth model and curriculum neutral assessment, with an international normative database recommended to the Board of School Directors in the early autumn of 2010 and adopted for use within the district by the Board of School Directors at the October 11, 2010 meeting.

MAP was phased into use in the district during the 2010-2011 school year for grades 3-6, as part of our ongoing assessment plan. The reports generated from this assessment will provide teachers, students, and parents with detailed information about a student’s growth from year-to-year. In the 2011-2012 school year, full implementation of MAP resulted in the elimination of several currently used assessments.  Currently, the MAP assessment for reading and math is administered three times per year (September, January, May) for all students in grades 3-6.

SCASD staff have worked closely with the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and training has been and continues to be provided for all administrators, classroom faculty, and staff who will be proctoring the assessments or using the data reports.  Training in the data and student reports have occurred and will continue during the 2012-2013 school year.

For additional to information please see the Implementation of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Frequently Asked Questions contained in this website, visit the NWEA website or contact Brian Peters, 

Director of Curriculum K-6 at bkp11@scasd.org.