Lake Forest School District 67

What is MAP Testing?

District 67 uses the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to measure academic achievement in grades 2-8.

NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) publishes the MAP Tests that District 67 uses to help assess the instructional level of each student, measure growth over time, and to gauge our progress as a school and as a district as a whole.

The questions are aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) and appropriate for our district curricula. The test is computer-based and administered to the whole class in the computer lab or in classrooms on laptops.

The test format is multiple-choice and it is considered a ‘leveled response test’. This means that the test is automatically ‘adjusted’ in response to a student’s answers. For example, if a student gets consecutive answers correct, the level of difficulty increases.

No two students have the same questions in the same order. There are literally thousands of questions in the test bank. A typical testing session takes second graders 30-40 minutes and has 42-52 questions, depending on the test administered. Only one test is administered per day.

At District 67, we administer the NWEA MAP Tests in Grades 2-8 in the areas of Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. Language Usage includes items related to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. We give the tests in the fall and spring (with an optional testing window mid-year).

The district will send a performance report to all parents every spring, which notes the fall and spring scores and annual growth measurement. We do not do a fall mailing because the primary purpose of that testing session is to help guide the teacher’s instruction, determine instructional groups, and develop differentiated learning opportunities based on needs.

Although the MAP Tests yield valuable information, we interpret second grade fall scores cautiously. We realize that this is the first experience our students have taking tests on a computer and a low score may be the result of a student having difficulty acclimating to the test format.

We use the MAP scores along with many other data points in making educational decisions. For example, in September, children are assessed via reading benchmarking, curriculum-based measurements (such as reading fluency/speed, math computation, and writing fluency), and classroom-based criterion referenced tests.

Some students experience a stagnation or decline in scores from spring to fall. This is a typical regression pattern that happens over the summer, especially if students haven’t been doing a lot of reading of reading or math in the summer months. Please don’t be alarmed if you see this pattern. Much of September is spent reviewing previously learned skills so children are ready to handle new concepts and skills.

In addition to homework assignments, the district provides opportunities for children to work on necessary skills outside of school. Students’ Compass Learning accounts will be adjusted within a month to incorporate activities that the NWEA MAP Test revealed as areas that your child could use additional instruction and practice in. If you need more information about your child’s compass learning account, please contact your child’s teacher.

More information about the MAP Tests can be found at www.nwea.org.

For the NWEA Parent Toolkit, click here. This online information packet for parents regarding the MAP Test contains frequently asked questions, a list of educational websites designed for academic skill building, suggestions for how parents can help their children in lower performing areas, and much more! Check it out!

We look forward to partnering with you this year to maximize your child’s growth and development.