Caption: Students from 6th grade began their school day with MAP testing in the PACA Library. [by Dr. Cristina Meier]
by Melissa Fernandes
Fourth quarter brought more than final projects and assignments of the school year to the middle schooler and elementary students of PACA.
MAP tests began during the week of April 22-25.
Each morning, groups of students from each grade were brought up to the library to take challenging tests that measure PACA students’ skills at English, math, writing, reading and listening. What few people might know is that the word MAP, is actually an acronym for “measures of academic progress.”
This type of testing is presented to students in a computerized format which allows them to click through questions one at a time. As they answer questions, the test adapts to their correct or incorrect answers. In 2023, the academic publishing company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) bought the rights to MAP tests for the purpose of adapting their school materials to the learning needs of their students.
For many students at PACA, in both elementary and middle school, most of the students have Portuguese as their first language. Since the MAP test is completely in English, they face the additional challenge to activate their brains fully in English, while managing their time, concentrating on the questions and staying calm throughout the process.
Glenda Anderson, a seventh grade student, took the test in the second half of the morning when her grade was called up to the library, and she was starting to get hungry for lunch.
“I felt really tired, but something that helped was looking at my progress throughout the test. The most challenging part was that it was a really long test, and since it was right before lunch, it made me distracted,” said Anderson.
Cintia Khun, PACA secretary was responsible for the MAP test divulgation for
parents, and to proctor and supervise the students on the days that they took the tests.
Khun is the registrar at PACA and she has been the MAP test coordinator at PACA since January of 2024. In that time, she has come to learn the value of MAP testing to help each individual student discover their level of learning so they each grow at their own pace.
“The questions start at the student’s level and depending on the student’s answer, if it is a correct answer the MAP test increases the difficulty, therefore the test is accurate in the student’s knowledge results, since it adapts to their level,” said Khun.
MAP tests are a product of the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association). According to the website (LINK HERE) the company has been working for 50 years to provide “precise, trustworthy, research-based assessments” to the schools and communities that they serve.
Therefore, the MAP test is really important as a feedback for the school and students of their progress in English and math skills. Teaching them how to deal with pressure and long tests.
Parents can find specific guides to help them understand the MAP test results on the NWEA website. The parent guides are offered in many different languages including Brazilian Portuguese.
