2.21.17 MAP Wins – New Reports Help Boost Differentiated Instruction We were pleased to recently learn that MAP® received the 2016 Award of Excellence from Tech & Learning Magazine. For 34 years, Tech & Learning Magazine has recognized the best new and... Read more
2.16.17 Three Phases of Leading District Change with Formative Instructional Practices Formative assessment is a timely topic. In education conversations today, we often hear about “balanced” or “coherent” assessment systems. Formative instructional practices (aka,... Read more
2.14.17 Sweet Words: A Compliment Activity for Valentine’s Day In high school, we had “Data Match”... a school fundraiser that filled the hallways with chatter in the first two weeks of February. My friends and I eagerly filled out personality surveys and... Read more
2.3.17 Formative Instructional Practice: What Leaders Can Do to Help Teachers Succeed When we think about formative instructional practice, we typically have the teacher in mind. What is the teacher doing differently to engage students and collect evidence of learning? Yet... Read more
1.26.17 Four Formative Instructional Practices that Drive Student Growth When I first started working with teachers on integrating formative instructional practices into their daily classroom practice, I noticed that many wanted to start with students self assessing... Read more
1.19.17 Three Reasons Savvy Leaders Prioritize Formative Instructional Practices We at NWEA are razor-focused on student growth—helping schools and districts not only measure it, but truly maximize it for each student. And while we’re best known for our computer-adaptive... Read more
1.10.17 11 Talking Points for Teachers Preparing Students for the MAP Test As school gets back underway and students get into their groove, teachers begin to think about winter testing. Many schools administer the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) K – 12 interim... Read more
12.20.16 Teacher Voices: Pausing to Sharpen Your Axe The week before Thanksgiving, I attended a conference where I was lucky enough to hear Mark Brown speak about finding YOUR best self. At the end of his powerful speech, Mark shared a... Read more
12.15.16 Three Ways that Formative Assessment Supports the Intervention Process Formative assessment is a teaching tool that supports all learners, but it is especially critical for students who are struggling, as it holds the potential for changing the learning outcome. I... Read more
12.6.16 Finding the College of Your Dreams in Three Easy Steps Step 1. Go to sleep. Warm milk before bed sometimes helps with this. Also, running a half marathon. Step 2. Dream about colleges. This part is trickier, since dreams stay mostly outside our control.... Read more
12.1.16 16 Ways Parents Can Help Their Child with Testing, Reading, and Mathematics The Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) test is a growth assessment given to K – 12 students that provides data to help teachers teach, students learn, and administrators lead. The MAP... Read more