With school in full swing, teachers everywhere are preparing for their open house nights, when the doors to the classroom are opened and the parental questions are posed. This is a great time for teachers and parents to start a dialogue on how the school year might unfold for their students. It’s also a good opportunity for teachers to help educate parents on assessments and how they can help advance student learning.
To that end, we have two tools to help teachers explain the basics of MAP Growth:
It’s also helpful for parents to understand the purpose of tests administered to students. Each test is used to make different educational decisions. Consider sharing the following information to better inform parents and help them become partners in the assessment process:
- State tests are summative assessments. These tests are typically administered at the end of a school year to measure what a student has learned against state standards. They are designed to measure the culmination of a student’s learning, and the results of these tests are used for accountability purposes.
MAP Growth is an interim assessment. This test is typically administered two to three times during the school year. It is designed to measure academic growth over time. The results of these tests are to inform instruction and help teachers make curricular adjustments to best meet student learning needs.
Educators use data from MAP Growth to develop actionable teaching plans at the classroom and student level that close gaps in student learning. When educators understand what a student knows and doesn’t know, valuable instructional time is optimized for learning.
Armed with a clear understanding of assessments, and how MAP Growth lend a hand in the classroom, teachers can use open house nights to set the table for a great school year!
You can also visit our Assessment Basics section for more information on different types of assessments and their purposes.
