Searching for a more accurate and useful assessment system, a group of educators from the Pacific Northwest formed a partnership. Their goal was to develop an assessment program that would:

• Measure the growth in each student's academic achievement over time.
• Provide information that teachers could use to meet individual student needs.
• Give administrators data they could use to evaluate academic program effectiveness.

View the timeline for details on how this group of educators formed a non-profit organization that serves educators and students throughout the nation.

1974

Partnership between members of Portland (OR) area school districts and Seattle (WA) Public Schools first formed.

1977

NWEA incorporates as a non-profit organization.

1978

Students in Portland (OR) Public Schools and Hillsboro (OR) Union High School District take the first Achievement Level Tests.

1986

First computerized adaptive tests are given to students in Portland (OR) Public Schools.

1988

Allan Olson, one of the founding partners, is hired as executive director.

1992

First Annual Members' Seminar is held; 12 people representing 5 districts attend.

NWEA develops computerized adaptive testing in 1997

1997

Development begins for refinement of NWEA's computerized adaptive tests, now called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).

2000

17,000 students take the first MAP tests.

2001

The Learning Continuum is published by NWEA, in conjunction with partner district Allentown (PA).

2002

Half-million dollar grant awarded for the creation of the Growth Research Database.

Idaho is the first to adopt NWEA assessments as the state-wide test.

2003

NWEA partners with more than 1200 school districts and educational agencies, providing nearly 3 million MAP tests to students.

2004

NWEA introduces DesCartes: A Continuum of Learning.

2005

NWEA releases the Dynamic Reporting Suite.