Bethel School District Assessment Update

Bethel School District Assessment Update

The Move to NWEA MAP Testing

Exciting changes are happening in the Bethel School District assessment system. Starting this spring, we will be introducing NWEA MAP (Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress) as part of our comprehensive testing system. This newsletter is meant to explain a little more about the move to MAP testing. You can use the links below to go to a specific question in the document.

What is MAP?

Why is the Bethel School District going to use MAP testing?

Who will be testing and when?

What data reports are available for teachers and schools and how are they accessed?

How does MAP testing impact our current assessment system?

What type of professional development will be offered for using MAP results?

Is there a plan for additional computers to accommodate MAP testing?

Where can I find additional information about MAP testing?

What is MAP testing? (answer adapted from the MAP Teacher Handbook)

Each student takes the MAP test on a computer. There are three separate tests (each taking approximately an hour): Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. A test proctor sets up the tests and monitors the testing session.

In the MAP system, the difficulty of the test is adjusted to the student’s performance. That is, the difficulty of each question is based on how well the student has answered all of the questions up to that point. As the student answers correctly, the questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. Within an optimal test, the student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level overall and within the state-aligned content strands.

Since each student in a class receives a different test, it is unlikely that two students taking a MAP test will see the same test items. In addition, a single student who takes the more than once is not likely to have any test items repeated.

After a student completes a test, the program reports the student’s RIT score. A RIT score in a given subject area shows the student’s current achievement level in that subject. A student’s RIT scores should show growth from year to year, and since the MAP system keeps a record of all tests administered at a site, historical reports can be generated to show students’ RIT scores across years.

Why is the Bethel School District going to use MAP testing?

In December and January this year, an assessment advisory committee was formed to research different assessment systems. These systems were evaluated on its ability to provide the following support for our schools and teachers:

· Student Course Placement. For years, our district has been using a variety of different assessments that were available to us for placement into secondary school interventions. We needed a test that was research-based and would assist in intervention and acceleration placement for both reading and math. This was especially important at the transition years to junior high or high school. While we have DIBELS in the elementary for reading, we needed a research-based test that can screen students and assist in placement for mathematics. In particular, this was needed for placing students into Ramp-Up interventions in 6th grade.

· Monitor Growth: A new assessment system should be able to monitor growth and value-added for a student both from beginning of the year to the end of the year, but also over a longer period of time. The district needed an external measure to monitor whether educational programs were helping students meet their educational goals.

· Predictor of MSP / HSPE success: A new assessment system should have solid research in its ability to predict success on state assessments and progress towards meeting that goal.

· Diagnostic measure for teachers: While no test can do it all, we wanted teachers to be able identify areas of strength and weaknesses for students as it relates to core content strands.

The advisory committee found that test MAP test met all the criteria listed above. What set MAP testing apart was its wealth of research related to the correlation to Washington state standards as well as its proven track record in many surrounding school districts.

Who will be testing and when?

The Spring 2011 “Soft Start”

The Bethel School District will be implementing a “soft start” this spring. This will provide needed student placement data as well as offer us an opportunity to learn the system so that we can be more prepared to initiate testing next fall. Since it has taken time to set the system up, we will have to have an abnormally long window so as not to interfere with MSP testing. In addition, we have prioritized certain grades and subjects as listed below:

First Group (transition years)

Grade / Subjects / Window
6 / Math, Reading (Language Usage if time) / April 18 – May 29
9 / Math, Reading (Language Usage if time) / April 18 – May 29

Second Group (High School)

Grade / Subjects / Window
10 / Math (Geometry or lower) (since EOC scores will not be available until fall) / May 2 – May 13

Third Group (remainder of junior high)

Grade / Subjects / Window
7 / Math, Reading (Language Usage if time) / May 16 – May 27
8 / Math, Reading (Language Usage if time) / May 16 – May 27

Fourth Group (remainder of elementary school)

Grade / Subjects / Window
5 / Math (Reading & Language Usage optional) / June 31 – June 10

The 2011-2012 School Year

The true power of the MAP assessment occurs when it is used throughout the year where student growth is monitored and diagnostic information can be used to inform instruction.

In a typical year, MAP testing will occur during three different testing windows – fall, winter, and spring. These testing windows must occur approximately 12 weeks apart to be sensitive to growth. The Bethel School District will test Reading, Math, & Language Usage for all student’s grades 5-10 (plus students in 11th and 12th grade who have not passed high school state tests). A specific testing calendar for the 2011-2012 school year will be published this June before school is out.

What data reports are available for teachers and schools and how are they accessed?

There are many powerful and data-rich reports available for students, teachers, and schools. Specific training will be provided in the summer so that we can fully utilize these reports in our first full year of implementation. These reports can be accessed online by teachers, counselors, instructional coaches, and administrators. The following staff has access to MAP data:

· 5th and 6th grade Gen Ed teachers (class data)

· 5th and 6th grade Sped teachers (class data)

· Secondary Teachers for the following courses:

o Communication Arts

o Sped Reading or Communication Arts

o Math courses

o Applied Math courses

o Sped Math

· Principals, Instructional Coaches, and Counselors have building-wide access

Usernames and passwords will be issued at your school for this access. Some of these reports are as follows:

· MAP Reports by Goal (strand)

· MAP Reports by RIT

· Achievement Status and Growth Targets (gives suggested targets based on fall testing)

· Achievement Status and Growth Summary (Shows term to term growth that relates to students target)

· Individual Student Progress Report (both text and graph formats)

How does MAP testing impact our current assessment system?

Secondary Schools
Assessments should only be used for the purpose that they were designed. MAP tests are designed to assist with placement, provide growth data for students, and strand level diagnostic information for teachers. This means that next year, we will not need to utilize AGS or other additional placement test measures. Schools will be able to utilize the data to facilitate differentiated instruction.
MAP tests do not replace the need for common formative assessments, unit tests, or summative finals. With that in mind, the district will be re-purposing the current district tests in reading and math to facilitate common formative assessments as well as common final exams. This will occur by creating an organized, online bank of problems available to teachers. In addition, committees of teachers can use the current district assessment items to facilitate building common course finals. This will also allow for AP classes to have common tests instead of using current district assessments.

Elementary Schools (5th and 6th grade)

Assessments should only be used for the purpose that they were designed. MAP tests are designed to assist with placement, provide growth data for students, and strand level diagnostic information for teachers. This means that next year, we will not need to utilize AGS or other additional placement test measures into Ramp-Up or junior high. The fall and spring math benchmark test for 5th grade will not be used. We have found a high correlation with the winter benchmark test and will continue using that test. Schools will be able to utilize the data to facilitate differentiated instruction.

MAP testing does not replace common formative assessments or unit assessments. Teachers must still utilize common formative and unit assessments to get data on whether a student has mastered a specific standard that was taught. Nor does MAP provide student data frequently enough to inform day to day or unit by unit instruction. Current efforts towards common formative assessment will be continued and expanded.

MAP testing is not as sensitive as DIBELS is for frequent progress monitoring. For students in strategic or intensive reading groups, DIBELS progress monitoring will still be utilized approximately twice per month.

A specific calendar will be published by the end of the school year.

What type of professional development will be offered for using MAP results?

Step One: MAP Administrative Training (official NWEA training)

On April 14, one representative from each school will be trained as a MAP building leader. These leaders will learn about the tests and the specifics for proctoring the tests. They will be responsible for training the necessary staff at their building.

Step Two: Stepping Stones Training (official NWEA training)

MAP trainers from each building will take part in this official training in August (date tbd). They will learn how to use MAP data reports to inform instruction and monitor student progress. They will provide additional training at summer institute and throughout the year.

Ongoing Training
District provided training after each testing period will be provided for both teachers and administrators. This may include webinars and the use of official online training from NWEA.

Is there a plan for additional computers to accommodate MAP testing?

Currently, MAP requires a windows or Mac operating system. NWEA is in the process of developing a purely web-based model that would be able to utilize our Linux-based netbooks. When this becomes available, we will be able to boost our computer capacity for testing at the secondary schools by using our Linux-based netbooks that are also used for online state testing.

Where can I find additional information about MAP testing?

Our district website for assessment has added a section for MAP Testing resources. You can access this directly at www.bethelsd.org/programs/assessment/MAP_testing .