By Scott Thomas
At your next parent-teacher conference, you may discuss results from a new test at ¼öʬapp called the , which is given to students in elementary and middle school.
This test is new to many families because itās only the second year ¼öʬapp has administered it, and most students learned virtually off-campus last year which exempted them from taking it. While there are other standardized tests in ¼öʬapp, including the state-mandated STARR, MAP Growth is different in several ways.
First, MAP Growth uses adaptive technology ā like a video game ā to make questions progressively harder or easier depending on whether a student gets answers right or wrong.
āItās not your typical standard achievement test,ā said Erin Bown-Anderson, assistant superintendent of academics. āIt is an adaptive test where students are intended to get 50% of what theyāre answering wrong.ā
Second, MAP Growth produces two results: an achievement score called an RIT and ā if students have taken the test before ā a growth score. ¼öʬapp will administer this test two more times this year and track studentsā growth as they progress not just this year but as they move up in grades.
Third, another advantage of this test is that teachers get results right away instead of waiting weeks like they do with STAAR. Families will get their studentās MAP Growth results as an itemized list of strengths and focus areas to review with their teacher.
āWe say, āHere are the things you can be doing at home, these are things weāre going to work on in the classroom,āā said Sarah Day-Linnell, a third-grade teacher at Baranoff Elementary.
Parents can then work with their childās teacher to use tools already on their studentās iPad or Chromebook. There are several programs available that teachers can connect parents with to help support their child. For instance, if a teacher sees that a child is struggling with math, they can work in Dreambox, an online math platform.
āThe score is really about āwhat do I need to do as the teacher to ensure that Iām providing the instruction that is going to push you to the next levelā,ā Bown-Anderson said.
While traditionally the goal of a test is to get all the questions right, thatās not feasible on MAP Growth, nor is it the goal. Instead, teachers will be looking for growth as the test is administered again in the coming months and years.
āAs long as weāre getting to a certain amount of growth, thatās progress,ā Day-Linnell said. āThatās our philosophy more so than grades.ā