Caption: MAP testing takes place in schools all around the world. This image was created by iLeadExploration which is a homeschool group based out of California. [@iLead California]
by Emily Jung
The first round of MAP testing for students in kindergarten through eighth grade is now complete. As explained in the PACA weekly news, these students take the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test on a yearly basis to show their progress in very specific areas of learning.
Middle School (6th – 8th Grades) students took their MAP tests on August 19-23. Elementary students (Kindergarten-5th Grade) took their MAP tests in Reading, Language, & Math during the weeks of August 26-30, September 2-6, and September 9-11, depending on their grade level.
This year, Mrs. Cintia Khun is the MAP test coordinator and has helped all of PACA’s enrolled students to complete their tests. Even students who are absent on the day of their official testing were given the opportunity to make up their tests later on. For all students, it is a chance for them to show off all the hard work they have done so far in school.
An important thing to remember is that students are not expected to study in advance for these tests. They are simply told to answer questions based on the skill level they have earned in math, reading and language comprehension. According to some elementary students at PACA, there are different opinions about the process of taking a MAP test.
Lorenzo Brant from 3rd grade, also known as Enzo, was asked his opinion about MAP tests.
“I like doing them,” he said, because he liked seeing a good grade at the end of it.
However, Ben Kim from 3rd grade has different thoughts about these tests.
“I don’t really like doing it, it’s a lot of work,” said Kim. He continued to say that he didn’t think it was necessary to do so many tests.
Overall, most kids have lots of different opinions about taking MAP tests and whether or not they enjoy them. Some students do not fully understand why they’re doing the MAP tests in the first place.
A good place to look for information about these tests is the NWEA website, as this is the organization that produces the MAP test for students all over the world.
According to Aaron Marion, a product marketing manager for NWEA, the MAP test structure is ideal for schools to accurately discover how their students are learning because it is a computer adaptive test. As students take the test, it responds to their level of achievement. If they answer a specific set of questions easily, they are given a more difficult set of questions to answer. If they have difficulty answering a specific set of questions, the next set is easier.
Marion provides more detailed answers about MAP testing in his blog called, “12 common questions parents ask about MAP growth.”
It was important for the students and their teachers to see how each student is performing so that they know that they are doing well in school and learning what they need to know as they progress through the school year. Middle school students will have MAP testing on more time this year during the fourth quarter and elementary students will test again during the second and fourth quarter of the school year.
