Educational Assessments

NWEA Overview (printable link)

Each year, our students, will continue their Chippewa Journey by participating in the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress® (NWEA MAP) assessment in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. These tests assist us in determining your child’s instructional level and measure his/her academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year in the areas of Math, Reading, and Language Usage. Here are the tests that our students take:MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child takes on a computer. This means that the test becomes more difficult the more questions your child answers correctly. When your child incorrectly answers a question, the test becomes easier. Therefore, each test is specifically created for a student’s level.

• The percentile indicates where the student scored in relation to all other students (not just within his/her school or in the District) who have taken the NWEA MAP assessment at his/her grade level during the same testing window.

• The RIT score is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we can easily measure growth in learning. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention for your child’s learning.

Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT (Rasch unIT) scores and percentiles. These are different types of scores than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. The MAP assessment is fully comprised of Common Core State Standards aligned questions. We will be able to gather comparison data with previous assessments and help us in our work as we continue to march towards personal excellence.

Understanding the RIT Score The charts provided show the national median RIT scores for grades 1-8 in a typical school district. You may use these charts to help determine if your student is performing at, above, or below grade level compared to students across the nation. It is important to understand that the MAP test is one test at one point in time. It does not measure intelligence or a student’s capacity for learning. When making important decisions about students, school staff will consider the MAP test results along with other data such as classroom performance, other test scores, and input from parents and teachers.

Growth Over Time We expect RIT scores to increase over time. Typically, younger students show more growth in one year than older students. Students who test above grade level often show less growth. Sometimes RIT scores may decline from one test to the next. One low test score is not cause for immediate concern. Like adults, students have good and bad days and their test results do not always indicate what they know. Students’ attitudes toward the test can also affect their score, along with the Summer Slide. The Summer Slide is referred to as “summer learning loss.” On average, students lose academic ground during the summer. Therefore, growth over time is a better measure of student learning. Anticipated growth rates for each student are based on national norms and should be viewed as “typical” growth, not expected growth. Our goal is for teachers to use the data to differentiate and adjust instruction so that all students grow at levels appropriate for each individual.

Check out the NWEA Parent Toolkit @ www.nwea.org/parent-toolkit/

NWEA RIT Score Charts

The norms in the tables below have a very straightforward interpretation. For example, in the status norms for reading, grade 2 students in the middle of the “begin-year” period had a mean score of 174.7 and a standard deviation of 15.5. To get a sense of how much dispersion there was, the SD 15.5 can be subtracted from the mean and added to the mean to produce a range of about 159–190. Since the norms are based on the bell curve, we know that 68% of all scores are expected to fall between in this range.

• K – 3rd: Overview and test results sent home at end of testing window, spend time with reports at Fall Parent Teacher Conferences
• 4th – 8th: Overview and test results sent home at end of testing window, bring if questions to Fall Parent Teacher Conferences
• Teachers will attempt to avoid large assessments (tests, projects, reports, or other time intensive assignments) during the NWEA testing window

• District Summary Report Spring 2018
• District Summary Report Spring 2019

• IXL
• Khan Academy

PSAT/SAT Program Overview (printable link)

As our students progress on their Chippewa Journey at MMHS they will take the College Board Suite of Assessments, an integrated system of tests that measure what they are learning in class and what they need to succeed in college. The culminating assessment for students is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which is taken in the spring of their junior year as part of the Michigan Merit Exam (MME). The Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is a series of tests that predicts college readiness and success on the SAT. There are actually three different PSAT exams:

• PSAT 8/9- sets readiness baseline and taken in 8th and 9th grades

• PSAT 10 – allow check-in on student progress and taken in 10th grade

• PSAT/NMSQT – National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; students take in the fall of 11th grade and may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program

• SAT – taken in the spring of 11th grade, scores are reported directly to colleges

After each test students will receive a clear and detailed report on their scores and performance percentiles in each area of the test. Please visit www.collegeboard.org for more information.

Student Support In 8th grade students create a Khan Academy account giving them access to practice tests/questions, video tutorials, and both test taking and studying strategies. Visit www.khanacademy.org/sat for more information. Practice tests may also be downloaded under Section 5 below.

Parent Support Check out the For Parents section on the bottom of the Khan Academy website above.

• PSAT/SAT Overview and PSAT Testing Schedules sent home before tests
• Results letter and scores (from College Board) sent home upon arrival of scores
• SAT scores are reported online

• Sample PSAT 8/9 Score Report
• Sample PSAT 10 Score Report
• Sample PSAT/NMSQT Score Report
• Understanding SAT Scores

• PSAT/NMSQT: Practice Test 1
  

• PSAT/NMSQT Answer Sheet
  

• Scoring Your PSAT/NMSQT Practice Test 1
  

• PSAT/NMSQT: Practice Test 1 Answer Explanations
  

• PSAT/NMSQT: Practice Test 2
  

• PSAT/NMSQT Answer Sheet
  

• Scoring Your PSAT/NMSQT Practice Test 2
  

• PSAT/NMSQT: Practice Test 2 Answer Explanations
  

• Khan Academy PSAT/SAT