Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment How does your school use NWEA MAP test results?

Hello all,

My son just took the NWEA MAP test at home. We're HSers. I'm curious to know how your school uses the results.

Thanks,
Dazey

Is not enough an answer?

We were able to successfully use DS7's MAP results to get him a mid-year grade skip. But that was primarily because he wasn't even on the 1st grade chart. I don't believe if he'd scored 98th percentile even that we would have been able to get the skip using his MAP as one of the evidence pieces.

They primarily use the data to make sure the teachers haven't left out any major skills. They do not use the individualized data as much as I would like to see them do it.

Thank you for your response.

I watched my DS take the test and there are so few questions, I am wondering what schools do w/ the information. I only have RIT scores and not the sub-section scores (won't get those until June) so I hope that will give me more insight into this test.

Dazey

Like CAMom, we were able to use the MAP results (in conjunction with ability and achievement tests) to get my DD first subject accelerated then grade accelerated, but that was also because she scored "off the charts" for her grade level. We're hoping my DS will do the same when he takes the math MAP (he already did for the reading MAP) so that we can get schoolwork commensurate with what he's doing at home on his own. In such a case, the test recommendations for what a student is ready to learn can be helpful.

In our district, I believe that the MAP tests are used in a general sense in conjunction with all the other assessments that the students take during the year. That is, they are really just used as another piece of the puzzle in trying to get a sense of how a child is performing. They are looked at equally to how the child is doing in class, on homework, and on tests, as well as how they are doing with other more official assessments. I'm not sure if that's how they are interpreted at the district level, but that is how they are used at a classroom level.

I think the further up in grade the students get, the more seriously they are taken at our school. I know that my DS's 1st grade teacher doesn't give the results much weight and she is, in fact, almost completely unfamiliar with which scores yield which percentiles. She feels that at such a young age, on a computer-read test, she doesn't know if students miss questions because they misread or misunderstood the question, because they made a silly mistake, or because they really didn't understand the concept.

I wish the teachers would read the "prescriptions" for what a student needs given his or her test score and then attempt to implement the recommendations, but as one teacher told me, they just can't do that for every single student.

Yes I can agree w/ your teacher. My son got questions right that I was shocked he got right. But then the one question I was SURE he'd get right, he got wrong. He misread simile as smile. We talk about similes ALL THE TIME b/c our lang arts curriculum, MCT. we're reading Wind in the Willows and there is a simile on every page if not more. But once I said simile he instantly knew the answer but I didn't let him change his answer lol. The instructions do say you can pronounce words but can't define them but since he didn't ask me to pronounce it, I let his incorrect answer stand. My son is scoring well, I'm not certain how off the charts he is compared to the kids here. He took the grade 2-5 test but is a 1st grader (6yrs old but will be 7 next month). he scored off the chart for 1st graders, 97th% for 2nd graders, 85-86th for 3rd in reading based on the pdf posted here, official percentiles will come in June. For math, off the chart for 1st graders, 96th for 2nd, and 73-75th% for 3rd graders. He'll take language arts today.

At some point, he'll be going back to school so I like to know what the results mean and may mean for placement. I don't have IQ/achievement data on him yet. Big brother qualifies for DYS w/ WISCIV but missed achievement data by 2 points using the Explore testing as a 4th grader. He has test anxiety, timer issues.

D&C, how many questions were there?

I was under the impression that it's a one-hour test, and they just keep answering questions until they get too many wrong or until the hour is up, whichever comes first.

My understanding is that the test is unlimited. perhaps your schools places a time limit? My 1st grader tested for 21minutes before the test ended itself. I would guess he answered about 15 questions?

Dazey

So I've had this confirmed from two sources that computer adaptive tests start in the middle and then adjust down or up as needed. That's exactly what I saw. DS6 finished the language arts today. He didn't score as well on this one b/c he was not wanting to do it. He guessed some correctly....intuition or just pure guessing I don't know. He scored 207. There are no 1st grade norms for Lang arts but it's 89-90th% for 2nd graders and he's a 1st grader so not too shabby lol.

DS's school has no time limit. However, they do get a little time pressure because when other kids finish, they are dismissed from the computer to go next door to the library. DS quit his math test the last time because he wanted to go get a book. I've asked/begged/demanded him this time to please stay and finish the test and I'll buy him whatever darned book is so important :-)

Well, my school told me my oldest wasn't gifted because her beginning of 1st grade MAP results were less than 209 for reading and 211 for math. Using the correct norms that's 91% 3rd grade reading and 95% 3rd grade math. After weeks of getting the run around, it turns out they were using bad normative data. When that was pointed out, they backed away saying MAP is not designed to determine placement in any sort of school program.

Our school based decision making council says MAP results are used as part of the school improvement plan for NCLB. I've attended the meetings but they've never discussed a meaningful report that includes means and standard deviations.