Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment MAP reading score big drop

I have always been confused with MAP testing result. Especially this time my DD's spring reading score is surprisingly about 10 points lower than the begining of the school year (fall score). They take MAP tests 3 times a year. In last fall her score is already above 99%. In winter she grew several points and still stayed above 99%. Now in spring for some reason the score sinks. She reads a lot every day and loves reading. I don't know what is going on. Is this a red flag to be concerned about? I would highly appreciate the input if you have had similiar experience.

What is the grade level? I ask because apparently they use a different test for younger vs. older kids.

My dd is now in 7th grade, and this is the 2nd year since the school started administering MAP. Her reading scores are near the upper limit, and fluctuate considerably from one testing to the next. I panicked a bit last year, but folks on this board as well as teachers we know reassure us that the test is just not so accurate at the upper end.

(I don't know if this pattern will recur, but both years her highest score has been in the fall (Fall 2012 higher than Fall 2011), followed by a decline in winter and a decline again in spring. I am saving this as ammunition as needed - it shows all her gains happen in summer, and she loses ground during the school year!)

DD is only 2nd grade. Our school starts MAP testing in the 2nd grade.

If it is a one time blip, I wouldn't worry. I'd be more concerned if the numbers jump all over regularly. For instance, with my 2e kid, the numbers on her MAPs tests were up and down all over the place constantly for years. For me, that was a clue that there was something wrong. For her 3rd grade teacher, who was not supportive to put it lightly, it was indication that she had guessed well whenever the numbers went up really high. (Of course, she is the same person who deemed IQ scores to be due to good guessing as well.)

My 4th Grader's MAP results had a drop in the winter testing but went right back up for Spring. This is the first year he is taking the tests.
He was in the 99% for both Math and Reading in fall, then it dipped to 97% in reading in Reading and tho the actual score fell a few points in math it was still at 99%.
Then in Spring - both scores went up quite a few points above the fall sores. I was like you worried after the winter testing. I am not exactly sure what happened there in winter. Ds mentioned the Reading test asked a lot of "roots" questions and he was not aware of that.

So did you do anything about it after the winter test and before spring test? Do you know why the score went up in spring?

I am not sure if we did anything to address it directly to be honest. For Reading which is his weakest subject, DS said during winter testing there were a few questions about word roots that he absolutely had no idea how to answer since he has not been exposed to them. He guessed on a few until he got a few wrong in a row and the test ended. So we started him on the Word Roots CD - for about 30 mins a week on his request. I am not certain if this helped his scores bounce back but his scores about 12 points. Math we did nothing out of the ordinary and it still went up 11 points.
I did speak to his teacher about the drop in winter and she was not too worried about it. MAP is supposed to be adaptive so it takes a few tests for it to get the child's real level. This was DS's first year of MAP so it was his second test.
Also if you have not already done so you can request for a detailed 20 page MAP report from the school - this gives a lot of information about what was tested and what areas could be worked on etc. I wouldn't be too worried just yet - wait for the fall test, perhaps your DD was just having a bad day on that particular day of testing. Good luck