MAP Assessment

This year our school will be starting to use a new assessment, MAP. Friday we had our initial training, and I am excited about the possibilities. The computer based assessment is adaptive, so it adjusts to the students level. Unlike the state assessment that only shows how my students are doing at grade-level, this assessment will give me strand data at the students' instructional levels. The program also has many very user friendly and helpful ways to present data, as well as a student goal sheet. Next year it will be nice to start with this at the beginning of the year, but for this year we will be having students take the assessments as soon as it is all set-up.

An initial thought is that I may advocate for giving this assessment three times a year, rather than conducting QRIs three times annually. This assessment will only take about one block of instructional time, as opposed to the weeks it takes to do one on one QRIs. I would still want to utilize the QRI with some students, as needed and to see one more piece.

I am looking forward to having access to an efficient and valuable new avenue for discovering data about my students. As a staff we find having this tool valuable to help triangulate data. Now I will have state assessment data (students can take state assessments up to three times/year, except writing and English Language Proficiency), MAP, QRI, and classroom observations/data. I always love finding one more way to get a fuller picture of who my students are as readers, writers, and learners.