NWEA-MAP Test - What is it & What we learn from it

As the school year begins, we will administer important assessments that will help our teachers best know where to focus their instruction. One of those assessments is called the Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Progress - or NWEA-MAP - test. It is given to our 6th -11th graders in the areas of Language, Reading and Math. This year, our Kindergarten - 5th grade students will take the NWEA test for Math. We began using NWEA for middle school and high school last year and are transitioning to elementary (math only) this year. We’ll add K-5 Language and Reading tests in 2024-25.

What does the test look like?

The NWEA test is adaptive, which means, the more questions the student answers correctly the harder the test gets; this allows the test to “find” a child’s achievement level and growth. The test contains mostly multiple choice and drag-and-drop items. You can find a sample here: https://warmup.nwea.org/

What do these tests measure?

These tests measure growth and proficiency.

• Growth - How they do compared to other kids that score like them in an approximate 10 week timeframe. *Note there will be no growth information for K-5th graders in the fall as they will only have one data point. Growth information can only come after the child takes the test twice or more. So that will come for K-5th graders in the winter.

• Proficiency - Whether they have mastered grade level concepts or not.

When will reports come home?

The assessments are given three times per year and reports are sent home to parents within a few weeks of the assessment windows.

How can I help my student at home?

Heather Kortlandt Director of Instruction

Please read the parent guide and the data report that will come with your child’s scores a few weeks after testing. The guide will help you understand how your child performed on the test and their projected growth. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher for additional information and explanation.

How can I get more information on NWEA?

Click on this QR code for videos that you can watch on topics like what it is like to take the test from the student’s perspective, How MAP can help support learning and the Family Guide to MAP Growth.

As always, we encourage our students to do their best; it’s the best way to see what they’ve learned, and how we can continue to individualize instruction.

Summer Break Includes Learning for Dozens of Students

Otsego’s elementary schools now have “secret agents” and dozens of middle and high school students are now better prepared for the upcoming school year thanks to summer learning programs.

About 100 1st-5th graders came to school part-time for the themed “Secret Agent Academy” where students got a new mission and tool for their investigative toolbox (notebooks, special pens, sunglasses, etc.) to encourage them in innovation and learning to master concepts in reading and writing.

Two sessions of programming took place at the middle and high school to help students with credit recovery and learning concepts in all core subjects. A huge thank you to our teachers, support staff, and student tutors for supporting this important summer program!