Family engagement is positively correlated to student achievement, and many schools and districts see it as a major focus for their strategic and improvement plans. Additionally, family engagement increases confidence in parents and other caregivers, helping them feel more able to impact their student’s learning. There’s a lot to be gained from high family engagement with MAP® assessments as well.
Many families and educators find family engagement a challenge, however. The Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships by Karen Mapp identifies six process conditions, or actions, that are key to the design of effective initiatives for building the capacity of families and school staff to partner in ways that support student achievement and school improvement:
- Relational: Built on mutual trust. When focusing on building relationships with parents and other caregivers, it’s important to build a foundation of mutual trust and respect.
- Linked to learning and development. Family engagement should be aligned to district and school goals. It should also connect families to teaching and learning goals.
- Asset-based. Successful family engagement values families for what they bring to a school.
- Culturally responsive and respectful. Educators are aware of, understand, value, and honor cultural differences when engaging with families.
- Collaborative. Family engagement should focus on building connections and creating opportunities for shared learning.
- Interactive. Families, students, and educators should be able to interact in a safe environment.
In my work, I am often asked, “What is the best way to share MAP data with families?” The six process conditions can guide you as you engage families and communities in understanding MAP data and supporting achievement and growth, whether you test with MAP® Growth™, MAP® Reading Fluency™, or both.
Process condition #1: Relational: Built on mutual trust
The Dual Capacity-Building Framework considers mutual trust the most important process condition.
How is trust a factor when you think about how your school or district uses MAP data? Consider your actions prior to administering your assessments. How many times have you sent home a letter, sent an email, or enabled a robocall informing families that their student will be taking MAP Growth or MAP Reading Fluency? Do the parents and caregivers receiving these really know what the messages mean? This is key in the framework: family and community engagement must be built on mutual trust and respect.
To build trust, I encourage you to explore different ways to communicate the purpose of MAP assessments and explain why students are taking them. Share our articles titled “MAP Growth 101: Everything families need to know”and consider inviting parents and other caregivers to take a practice test. Let families know how the assessment data will be used by leadership and classroom teachers to advance student learning.
Process condition #2: Linked to learning and development
How can you connect families to specific learning goals for their student?
Before testing, teachers can share tips for families to help prepare students and reinforce the message of having their student try their best. See our article titled “Leading up to MAP Growth: 20 tips for families.”
After testing, you can use the MAP Growth Student Profile report and learning continuum to identify skills students can build upon, practice, and learn to support their growth. Create guides around a few skills that support student learning. This can also be a part of any goal-setting conferences you have with each student and their family or caregivers.
At the end of the year, invite families and community members to school for student showcases or a student reading night to celebrate students’ growth.
Process condition #3: Asset-based
Understanding and communicating that families are assets to their students’ education is key in supporting students and increasing family engagement with MAP assessments.
Teachers, you do not have to do it alone. Families know a great deal about their student and would appreciate the opportunity to provide input and share insight about them to support their achievement and growth. Using families as funds of knowledge, you can connect students’ experiences and interests to learning. You can also ask family and community members to volunteer to support tutoring efforts.
How can you learn from families to support students’ growth and gain more insight to your students?
Process condition #4: Culturally responsive and respectful
This process condition aligns to the asset-based process condition and includes valuing families’ and students’ cultural differences.
Our Family Toolkit has many resources to help families understand MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency. Working with your community to have interpreters available during conferences or activities around MAP assessments can be helpful as well. I also encourage you to use resources and activities that are culturally inclusive.
Process condition #5: Collaborative
Collaborative initiatives and activities can bring your school and families together for shared learning.
I strongly encourage you to host learning nights that teach parents how to use resources or feature activities to support their students’ learning at home. Consider one night for each instructional area. Also think about how to involve your surrounding community. Is a restaurant or coffee shop near your school willing to host a MAP night to help families learn more about the assessments or to support learning around resources? Would they consider donating snacks for an event held on campus in exchange for some free advertising?
Process condition #6: Interactive
When tackling family engagement with MAP assessments, it’s important to think outside the box about other ways to involve families in MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency testing. Not all families can attend events in the evening or during the school day. That does not mean they do not care. We may just need to think differently about how best to engage them.
Consider two-way communication with families in the form of MAP or data folders that go home to show progress and provide a tip or resources that can help support students. Families can also leave questions, comments, or messages in the folder for the teacher.
In closing
Parents and other caregivers have dreams for their students and want the best for them. The Dual Capacity-Building Framework is a resource to guide initiatives and activities for family and community engagement to ultimately support students and their learning.
Family engagement is not just something you do alone; it is a partnership, and it will take work. Visit our resource center and blog home page for more tips and resources to support the implementation of MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency assessments in your school or district.
