Has anyone heard of this test: Measure of Academic Progress

[Country Girl]

I am investigating the option of having my son enroll in the TAG class at our local ps. As part of the requirements to "qualify" the students have to take the Measure of Academic Progress test. I was just wondering if anyone is familiar with it and what you have to say about it.

 

Thanks!

[Jenny in Florida]

. . . I found this, which appears to be the publisher's website:

 

http://www.nwea.org/assessments/map.asp

 

There are some sample questions available.

[joannqn]

Yes. My kids are enrolled in a virtual academy and they use this test. It's nice for us because it can be done at home and we'd have to test every year whether we were part of the academy or not.

 

The test is done on the computer. There are two versions: the K-2nd grade and the 3rd through 12th grade. The K-2nd grade has an audio component so that the questions and answers are read to the student.

 

The test is adaptive. If the student gets a question correct, the next question is more difficult. If the student gets a question incorrect, the next question is easier. The test goes back and forth like this until it determines a raw score that corresponds to a grade level. It can be hard on some kids (ie. perfectionists) because it is designed so that you only get half of the questions correct as it narrows down the grade level. I've heard it is harder on gifted kids because they push the test to it's upper levels. My daughter, for example, was getting reading comprehension questions from Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Writing for College at the age of 8 because she's so advanced in that area.

 

As far as results, you get several things back. You'll get back the percentile as compared to the norm for the grade level your child is listed as. Then you get an overall raw score. The raw score can then be compared to a scale that tells you where it falls, grade level wise, in several categories (ie. 4th grade, 2nd grade gifted, 3rd grade advanced, and 1 and 2 standard deviations delay risk groups). Then you get raw score ranges in a few problem types within that test. For example, you might get problem solving, computation, and alegebraic concepts under the overall test for math. For subsequent tests, you also get a progress since the last test score.

 

It was this test that finally helped me to see that my DD needed more difficult/challanging/gifted curriculum in language arts. When I thought about it, though, the test results really made sense and helped me more fully understand what her CAT results were trying to tell me the previous year. My son's results fell exactly where I expected, both this year and last year. So, for my kids, it's pretty accurate.

[Country Girl]

. . . I found this, which appears to be the publisher's website:

 

http://www.nwea.org/assessments/map.asp

 

There are some sample questions available.

 

Jenny,

 

Thanks for the link. I'm going to check out the info on it and I know the sample questions will be helpful.

 

Thanks!

[Country Girl]

Yes. My kids are enrolled in a virtual academy and they use this test. It's nice for us because it can be done at home and we'd have to test every year whether we were part of the academy or not.

 

The test is done on the computer. There are two versions: the K-2nd grade and the 3rd through 12th grade. The K-2nd grade has an audio component so that the questions and answers are read to the student.

 

The test is adaptive. If the student gets a question correct, the next question is more difficult. If the student gets a question incorrect, the next question is easier. The test goes back and forth like this until it determines a raw score that corresponds to a grade level. It can be hard on some kids (ie. perfectionists) because it is designed so that you only get half of the questions correct as it narrows down the grade level. I've heard it is harder on gifted kids because they push the test to it's upper levels. My daughter, for example, was getting reading comprehension questions from Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Writing for College at the age of 8 because she's so advanced in that area.

 

As far as results, you get several things back. You'll get back the percentile as compared to the norm for the grade level your child is listed as. Then you get an overall raw score. The raw score can then be compared to a scale that tells you where it falls, grade level wise, in several categories (ie. 4th grade, 2nd grade gifted, 3rd grade advanced, and 1 and 2 standard deviations delay risk groups). Then you get raw score ranges in a few problem types within that test. For example, you might get problem solving, computation, and alegebraic concepts under the overall test for math. For subsequent tests, you also get a progress since the last test score.

 

It was this test that finally helped me to see that my DD needed more difficult/challanging/gifted curriculum in language arts. When I thought about it, though, the test results really made sense and helped me more fully understand what her CAT results were trying to tell me the previous year. My son's results fell exactly where I expected, both this year and last year. So, for my kids, it's pretty accurate.

 

JoAnn,

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to really give me an idea of how the test works and how the results can be applied. I figured the test would just be another measure like the ITBS he took in the fall and if he took it it would just be to jump through the hoop of taking the class. However, it sounds like the test could provide some good information for me as well and show me how I could better meet his needs.

 

Thanks!