6
Catholic schools
September 23, 2014
CATHOLIC EDUCATION INSPIRES
NWEA MAP: The diocesan schools normed
benchmarking assessment
leadership.
T
he Valley Catholic
St. John the Baptist Student Council
By Matthew Cordes
Drexel School Program Administrator
The elementary schools of the Diocese of San Jose are going
into the second year of implementation of the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA
MAP). This assessment given three times over the course of
the year is a major shift for the diocese. MAP is an adaptive assessment that
is taken online. The company describes the adaptive nature of MAP:
“the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all
the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become
more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become
easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items
correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s
achievement level.”
- MAP Parent Tool Kit 2011
This adaptive nature allows MAP to accurately provide data on every
student’s achievement level in both reading and math. This level of detail allows our teachers to plan more individualized instruction to maximize each
student’s achievement. Some teachers across the diocese are already using
MAP results to flexibly group students to provide more targeted instruction
and to create individual achievement goals for students. Currently, the Department of Education is working with schools in an effort to present MAP
data to parents by the end of the school year.
MAP is aligned to the California Common Core Standards that are used by
the elementary schools in the Diocese of San Jose. The assessment is nationally
normed and highly respected in the education field. MAP is administered to
students Kindergarten through 8th grade in math and reading. MAP is currently taken on a tablet or computer. The diocese is excited to see our amazing
diocesan teachers using the data with a year of experience in working with
the test. For more information about MAP, visit www.nwea.org.
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Back Row (L-R) Gabriela N., Julianna K., Nina H., Elizabeth N., Rylee A., Kay G., Kiara
F., Daniel C., Dominic G., Franchesca L. Front Row (L-R) Aaron M., Abbe P., Lucas K.,
Megan M., Joe B., Joseph P., Ariana G., Ena M., Ted K., Jocee A.
Congratulations to the 2014-2015 St. John the Baptist Student Council m