What do you as a parent want to learn from a standardized test? What value do you see in such testing?

MAP BASICS (I promise your child’s testing experience will be much more pleasant than this next persons voice!)

So what did he SAY??? Computer based tests are adaptive and questions adjust to students ability level – so every student takes a different test, and every test is customized to the student. This is a highly effective approach to eliminating testing anxiety questions per subject (reading, language, and math). One test per day (approximately 1 hour) for 3 days. LE testing will be the week of May 2 nd, UE testing will be the week of May 9 th. Test results provide the instructional level of student, versus mastery tests. Results also show what a student is ready to learn next, based on the Descartes learning continuum (discuss more next slide). Emphasis on growth (fall & spring) vs. end of year results one time. This also provides longitudinal data allowing measurement over time. Environment – go at own pace, no sitting & waiting, and tests are untimed

What do the tests cover? Descartes Framework: Reading Word analysis and vocabulary Literal comprehension Interpretive comprehension Evaluative comprehension Literary response and analysis Language Usage Composing and Writing Process Composition Structure Grammar and Usage Punctuation Capitalization Math Computations Number sense and Numeration Geometry Measurement Statistics, Probability, and Graphing Algebraic concepts Problem solving

Hiccups Will my child have difficulty using a computer? students in the lab Can use mouse or arrow keys Montessori vs. Traditional (i.e. math LE to UE) Student Preparedness Test taking strategies (i.e. eliminating wrong answers) are embedded in Montessori materials, lessons, and activities Student PowerPoint (can’t skip questions or go back, teacher can’t read question, calculator will sometimes appear for operations problems, there will be some questions you don’t know and that’s ok).

Reports and Data Norm group taken from 4600 schools nationwide, approx 4 million students (used in all 50 states & 38 foreign countries). RIT – MAP tests use a scale called RIT to measure student achievement & growth. RIT stands for Rasch (Danish mathematician) UnIT, which is a measurement scale developed to simplify the interpretation of test scores. It is an equal interval scale, like feet & inches. They make it possible to follow educational growth from year to year. Student Percentile = A student scoring at the 50 percentile scored as well as or better than 50% of students within the norm group. An average student is expected to fall within this 50% percentile range. Students at or around the 50% range are performing ON GRADE LEVEL. Reading percentiles aka “Lexile.com”

Can your child prepare for MAP? The best thing your child can do to prepare for testing is to work to their fullest potential in school everyday. Regular attendance, good nutrition, and rest are also important. We are not, and never will be, a school that “teaches to the test.” The test is simply one tool used to make an objective comparison of our students to others nationwide. However we honor and recognize the uniqueness of each child and their learning needs.

More information… map - sample questions by subject area map administration - “Preparing Parents Column” administration This presentation will be attached to the newsletter so you can access all links!

Questions?