What is NWEA MAP testing?
AMS has partnered with Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and implemented an assessment tool that promotes student learning and motivation, program evaluation, and accountability. NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) are computerized, adaptive tests that assess each student's current level of academic performance in Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. When a student takes a MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. The adaptive nature of the test essentially personalizes the test to each student. As a result, every student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. At the end of the test, the final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level.

For more information on resources for parents, please access the Parent Toolkit at http://www.nwea.org

Three times per year – in September, January and May - all AMS students take the MAP assessment to determine their instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year.

Understand your child's results.
Following the testing period, you receive a report showing your child’s achievement level and growth. The MAP results are reported in RIT scores. The RIT score is not a raw count of the number of questions answered correctly.  Rather it is an equal interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level and as a result, it is useful to measure growth in learning.

Results of MAP testing are aligned to Arizona State Standards and provide feedback that is used to modify teaching and learning activities for instruction. Reports are cumulative and show student growth across time. So, if you know your child's score, you can predict if he/she is in danger of not passing AIMS testing.

At AMS, we encourage all parents to speak with your child's teacher or an administrator to understand your child's NWEA results and to be able to use it to gauge academic progress. The numbers are not always easy to comprehend, so AMS staff and faculty are always ready to help you with understanding and interpreting NWEA results.