What is MAP?
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a state and nationally aligned program that provides CH-UH educators with the information that they need to improve teaching and learning and to make student-focused, data-driven decisions.
Students are tested three times per year in various subjects. Educators use the growth and achievement data from MAP to develop targeted instructional strategies and to plan school improvement.
Facts About MAP
- Is not an accountability test.
- Generates test questions based on a student’s responses and adjusts to a student’s skill level so that each student takes an individualized test.
- Given on computer under adult supervision.
- Gives immediate results.
- Aligned to state curriculum standards and National Common Core standards.
- Used to target individual instruction.
- Administered in CH-UH since 2013-2014.
When are Tests Given?
Three times per year:
- Fall - August/September
- Winter - December/January
- Spring - May/June
Student MAP Scores
Student MAP testing results are reported in RIT scores (short for Rausch Unit). A RIT score is an estimation of a student’s instructional level and a measure of a student’s growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child’s height to show how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. MAP assessments are very similar, as they measure your student’s growth in various subject areas from year to year. This enables teachers to pinpoint what students have learned and what students are ready to learn.
It is important to understand that the MAP is one test at one point in time. It does not measure intelligence or a student’s capacity for learning. When making important decisions about students, school staff will consider the MAP test results along with other data such as classroom performance, other test scores, and input from parents and teachers.
Growth Over Time
We expect RIT scores to increase over time. Students who test higher often show less growth. Sometimes RIT scores may decline from one test to the next. One low test score is not cause for immediate concern. Much like adults, students have good and bad days and their test results do not always indicate what they know. Students’ attitudes toward the test can also affect their score. Therefore, growth over time is a better measure of student learning than individual scores.
Parents and guardians should also understand that students will grow at different rates. Anticipated growth rates for each student are based on national norms and should be viewed as “typical” growth, as opposed to “expected” growth.
CH-UH staff have participated in training to learn what the MAP test results mean and how to best utilize these results. Our goal is for teachers to use the data to differentiate and adjust instruction so that all students grow at levels appropriate for each individual.
More Information
For more information about MAP testing, visit NWEA.org/map-growth/.