At NWEA, one question that we are often asked is how well MAP® Growth™ aligns to different state standards, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Today, we are excited to share that an independent study concluded that more than 97 percent of MAP Growth items align to CCSS in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The study findings were consistent across all grades K-12.
MAP Growth, our flagship interim assessment, is often used by schools and districts to measure progress toward the CCSS or state-adopted standards. The study evaluated a random sample of MAP Growth and MAP Growth K–2 items for alignment to the CCSS in terms of categorical concurrence and depth, range, and balance of knowledge. More than 97 percent of the items across all grade levels K-12 and all content areas were found to be aligned to the CCSS.
Fred McDaniel, PhD, our senior vice president of Product Management & Publishing, notes,
We know how important it is for school districts and individual teachers to be confident that the assessments they use are aligned to their curricula and academic standards. By commissioning an independent study to verify that our assessments are tightly aligned to the Common Core State Standards, we can provide those assurances.”
NWEA enlisted Karla Egan, PhD, principal of EdMetric, LLC, to conduct the study. Egan is a nationally recognized expert in state-level assessment and in standard setting. She served on the National Academy of Sciences committee that evaluated the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) achievement levels.
The MAP Growth assessment provides the most precise measure of a student’s academic growth. It adjusts to each student’s responses to provide personalized results about what each student knows—whether on, above, or below grade level. Teachers receive immediate and actionable information in easy-to-use reports that help differentiate instruction. Because MAP Growth tracks individual student growth over time, it can help predict each student’s proficiency and college readiness.
If you want to learn more about how MAP Growth is aligned to your state standards, check out this short video. While the video uses South Carolina as an example, it explains our approach to alignment in all states.
