To build a foundation for future success, Pre-K-3 students are being introduced to education assessments to help gauge where they are in their literacy and math skillsets. By assessing students early, in their academic career, educators have reliable insights to determine whether students are academically at-risk and/or in need of intervention.
High-quality assessments can pinpoint student trouble spots before they become problems with long-lasting impact. Our educational assessments support early learning by helping answer these three all-important questions: Which students need help? What do they need help with? How we can provide more of what works? Here’s how we do it.
Which students need help?
Educators must know which students need additional support. A high-quality assessment, right-sized for early-learners can simplify this otherwise challenging process.
- MAP® Growth™ K-2 provides literacy and numeracy screening to identify where early-learners are in their learning. Available in English and Spanish, the assessment pinpoints what students know and what they’re ready to learn next.
- NWEA norms help educators make predictions about what type of growth is typical and atypical, based on where students start. This tool helps educators compare students to their academic peers and identify students who may be academically at-risk.
- MAP Reading Fluency helps educators determine if students are meeting expectations on oral fluency, literal comprehension, and other foundational reading skills. Available in English and Spanish, this assessment can be used as a benchmark or progress monitoring tool to support and encourage early literacy.
What do students need help with?
The right assessment data can help differentiate instruction and create groups based on specific skills and intervention plans.
- The learning continuum in MAP Growth helps educators understand what skills and concepts students are ready to learn. This is critical information when educators develop intervention plans.
- From issues with decoding to comprehension, MAP Reading Fluency identifies the trouble spots holding students back.
- Visual class reports throughout the MAP Suite provide educators quick views to help inform grouping for differentiated instruction.
How can we provide more of what works?
To increase the effectiveness of their programs, educators need to better understand what is working well over time.
- Educational assessments like MAP Growth provide a long-term view of what’s consistently creating student growth. Use actionable data to re-evaluate your strategy and adjust as needed.
- Student level reporting makes it easy for educators to see which interventions are succeeding student by student.
- Use school and district reports to look for repeated patterns of growth over time.
The answers to these questions help educators deliver the instruction that early learners need to stay at or above grade level. Falling behind early and playing catch-up is never easy for educators or our early learners. The right educational assessments can make all the difference.
