Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment MAP tests

Dazey,

Interesting questions. I really don't know the answers, but my impression from seeing sample problems of both types of tests is that the EXPLORE and SAT (and ACT) are more comprehensive in scope. They may also have quite different norming samples. For my purposes, percentiles calculated from the college-bound population are more useful.

It would be fascinating to know exactly what content is included on MAP. My guess is that the math does not go beyond Algebra I and basic geometry. In that sense I doubt that it actually has anything that you or I would think of as 12th grade material.

DD (4th grade) has done all three of the MAP tests now (2-5 survey math, 2-5 survey reading, and Language survey). Yes, the 2-5 math did not have much headroom. The Reading test, on the other hand looks like it has quite a bit of headroom in terms of content of the questions (and I have a highly verbal kid). The actual percentiles don't matter much as you can look up the same score at any grade level, so if your DS scores 99th percentile in math for his grade, then you can check the same RIT score in the column for 5th grade, 6th grade and so on.

Actually, it's partly because of those tables that I wonder about the test. There is far less change in percentile from year to year than I would expect to see.

For the language test the level doesn't matter since there is only the one level.

If you end up having your DS take the 6+ tests, please post more and share your thoughts. I had planned to use the MAP tests as a benchmark to check progress from year to year, but now I'm not so sure.

-NJMom

This may help. It's example questions at different RIT levels for mathematics:
http://legacysupport.nwea.org/assets/documentlibrary/Math_Single.pdf
There are also examples for Reading and Language:
http://legacysupport.nwea.org/assessments/ritcharts.asp

Thanks, Inky. Those were the sample problems to which I was referring.

Perhaps some of the parents with older kids are in a better position to comment on the relative headroom of MAP vs. EXPLORE vs. SAT. And for advocacy purposes, have people gotten more mileage out of MAP scores or EXPLORE scores?

Dottie, are you out there?

I'd love to hear opinions about that too. One plus for MAP is that it includes growth data. For children in public schools, this helps open the door for discussions about making sure the curriculum is sufficiently challenging to achieve growth goals. I can go to the parent teacher conferences and say "how will we make sure DD meets her MAP growth goals?" Not as big of a concern for homeschoolers though.

Thanks Inky! I'll take a look at those after dinner.

((Hand raised and waving))
I can answer this one!
SATs taken before 9th grade are magically wiped away each June by College Board unless the score is so fabulous that the parent sends a letter requesting the scores to be saved, so before 9th grade there is Zero negative impact on Colleges.

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/register/special/8th-grade

My son took them at age 11/7th grade, age 12/8th grade, and age 13/9th grade.

No scores at age 11, because he left about 4/5th into it - just too much sitting. but there was a gratifying jump between age 12 and age 13!

There is various information available for certain months of the SAT for feedback, but we haven't really been able to make much sense of that.

As for advocacy, our local high school is intimately familiar with SAT, so whenever the faces start looking like: 'Oh, you are just another mistaken parent who thinks there child is special' I casually throw in the SAT scores and the doors start flying open.

My son has done the summer camps that required the SAT, and loved that experience, and having the talent search information has helps me 'believe' that 'not all gifted is the same' and helped me get an idea of his LOG.

Right now the plan is to have DS (now 9th grade)take the SAT every year just to see if he should really study and trust the colleges to do the math and figure it out. My hunch is that this won't backfire, but it could for some of the most selective schools. If the score keeps rising, then what's not to like?

Love and more Love,
Grinity

Grinity, There was a discussion at the WTM board some time ago on the SAT. Someone there linked to an article addressing advanced kids who take the SAT every year. Some were crying fowl that they had a lot of time to practice taking the SAT that ND kids don't get. It was an interesting conversation.

Dottie - I think I get it now. Someone here mentioned, in a MAP thread, that there was some trigonometry on the test.

So the Explore is given to 8th graders but it's not 8th grade material? What grade material does it cover?

Dottie, Inky linked to a file of sample questions for the MAP math, lang arts, and reading.

What is the STAR math test? Is it your state test?

Dazey

The link to sample questions for MAP is very useful. It's one of the reasons why I think the ceiling is too low for the test to be a useful benchmark for a GT kid.

Dottie, you are definitely right about the difference between average x-th graders and what GT parents think kids should be doing at that level. That's exactly why I think all of these grade levels and equivalents are so meaningless. My 4th grader has TONS left to learn, even in areas where she ceilings the test.

Really, my foray into all of this testing (SCAT, MAP, EXPLORE) was prompted by the desire to find a good benchmark test to measure DD's progress from year to year. We'll see if EXPLORE does the trick.

Is the EXPLORE more like the ACT and SAT in that those tests are really targeted for (and used by) the college-bound population?

Just one quick follow-up for those interested in this thread:

Although the math may not go beyond Algebra 1 or so, my impression of the Reading and Language tests of MAP is that they DO test high school level material. Not necessarily 12th grade honors or AP level, but something beyond middle school.

All this testing stuff could really make one insane. I figure the MAP will be good for DS4th grade for several more years along w/ the Explore for practice w/ timed tests.