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If you\u2019ve ever taken a child to the doctor\u2019s office for a routine visit, you know that measuring the child\u2019s height and weight is standard procedure. And you might have noticed that it\u2019s not the inches and pounds themselves that are most interesting, rather, it\u2019s the context: how these numbers have changed over time and how the child\u2019s height and weight compare to those of their peers.<\/p>\n
When it comes to academic test performance, NWEA takes a similar view. It\u2019s all about context. While a student\u2019s score on an interim assessment like MAP\u00ae Growth\u2122<\/a> is an important data point, the real value comes in knowing how that student is growing over time. That\u2019s the insight teachers need to know how best to support their students on their individual learning journeys.<\/p>\n With student growth in mind, NWEA built MAP Growth on the RIT scale<\/a>\u2014a measurement scale designed to provide stability and trustworthy insights from season to season and year to year. The RIT scale:<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll look under the hood of the RIT scale and see how it works in practice.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin with five facts about the RIT scale:<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s take a closer look at the equal-interval aspect of the RIT scale. Again, equal interval means that the difference between the scores is the same regardless of whether the student is at the top, middle, or bottom of the RIT scale. Consider the illustration below. Just as the difference between one and two inches on a ruler represents the same distance as the difference between six and seven inches\u2026<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a student who\u2019s new to MAP Growth. We\u2019ll call him Javier.<\/p>\n When Javier and his classmates first sit down to take the MAP Growth assessment, the test looks the same to all of them, but their experiences soon diverge. From the first test item, the system begins adjusting, giving Javier progressively harder items to see where the edge of his achievement level is. The test is trying to identify the sweet spot where Javier is equally likely to get an item right as wrong.<\/p>\n As the difficulty of test items continues to adjust up or down based on each student\u2019s performance, Javier and his friends increasingly see their own unique version of the test. These slight adjustments continue, turning in an easier direction following a wrong answer and a more challenging direction following a correct one. This is what makes MAP Growth such an efficient and useful assessment; the test isn\u2019t wasting time on items that are far too easy or far too hard for the kids taking it.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s where the RIT score comes in. Throughout the assessment process, the brain behind MAP Growth is looking for an answer to one overarching question: What is the difficulty level of questions that Javier answers correctly about 50% of the time?<\/p>\n I mentioned earlier that RIT scores apply to test items as well as students. As an example, take a RIT score of 200. A student with this score answers 50% of items at this level of difficulty correctly, and a test item with this score is answered correctly by 50% of students at this achievement level. By examining this 50% sweet spot, we can find the edge of each student\u2019s ability, which tells us much more about growth than simply looking at all the questions students got right and the ones they got wrong.<\/p>\n A final note about how students get their RIT score: It\u2019s not just about number crunching. Student engagement is a key part of the process. We need Javier\u2019s full, active participation in MAP Growth to feel confident in the accuracy of the score. That\u2019s why the test is designed to check for any signs of disengagement, such as rapid guessing, in which case the test will flag the issue and give the student a friendly reminder to slow down.<\/p>\n There\u2019s strength in numbers. Teachers can use a student\u2019s RIT score to advance a whole range of instructional and planning activities, including the following:<\/p>\n Additionally, teachers can enhance their use of RIT scores with two important contextual tools.<\/p>\n First, there\u2019s MAP Growth norms, nationally representative data that shows how students at various starting RIT scores grow over time. By referring to the conditional percentiles provided by these norms, educators can better understand what growth looks like for similar students, whether that growth is below average, typical, or above average.<\/p>\n The second contextual tool is linking studies to state assessments. These research-based studies, which connect MAP Growth RIT scores to state-specific proficiency benchmarks, allow educators to estimate whether a student is on track to meet or exceed state standards.<\/p>\n For educators seeking to understand their students\u2019 achievement and growth in the context of national scores and trends, MAP Growth norms are a source of valuable insights. Common questions that MAP Growth norms can help answer include the following:<\/p>\n Norms take vast numbers of data points from across the country and turn them into conditional growth percentiles, giving teachers at-a-glance insights into where their students stand.<\/p>\n MAP Growth norms help educators set personalized goals based on where students start, not just what grade they\u2019re in. By using typical growth percentiles alongside proficiency cut scores from state linking studies, teachers can determine whether goals can realistically be met within a single year. For example, if Javier is a fifth grader in Texas, he will need a spring reading RIT score of 211 to meet grade-level expectations on the STAAR state assessment. Javier\u2019s teacher uses MAP Growth norms to see that the average reading growth for fifth graders is five RIT points, so she will set the right stretch goals for Javier and his classmates based on their unique starting points.<\/p>\n Every day, educators have decisions to make about when and how to adjust instructional practices to meet students\u2019 needs. By showing how similar students grow on average across the nation, MAP Growth norms provide a meaningful and research-based comparison point that helps educators make these decisions with greater confidence. And depending on what the norms reveal, they may also serve as an important prompt for educators to investigate areas where their own students\u2019 growth seems to deviate from national patterns.<\/p>\n Growth norm data can help teachers understand whether students are making above-average growth\u2014even if they haven\u2019t yet reached achievement benchmarks like projected proficiency on state assessments. This insight can guide decisions about the intensity of supports needed and whether to set multi-year goals to help students reach grade-level expectations over time.<\/p>\n In any given classroom, some students may show rapid growth without reaching proficiency, while others may be projected to reach proficiency but show a stagnant or slow rate of growth. In either case, national growth norms provide the context and nuance to help educators interpret the various scenarios they face and make the right targeted instructional decisions.<\/p>\n Want to learn more about RIT scores? Here are a few steps you can take to advance your knowledge:<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever taken a child to the doctor\u2019s office for a routine visit, you know that measuring the child\u2019s height and weight is standard procedure. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":24668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The RIT scale is a MAP Growth measurement scale designed to provide stability and trustworthy insights from season to season and year to year.","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[637],"grade_level":[830,831,832,833],"product":[835],"theme":[],"coauthors":[{"id":171,"name":"Jonathan Fine, NWEA","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/author\/jfine\/","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/blank.gif","48":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/blank.gif","96":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/blank.gif"}}],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Five fast facts about the RIT scale<\/h2>\n
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Unpacking \u201cequal-interval\u201d<\/h2>\n
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\u2026the difference between 120 and 130 on the RIT scale represents the same growth as the difference between 210 and 220.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/uploads\/2025\/02\/how-the-map-growth-rit-scale-offers-valuable-insights-into-student-growth_850x431_imageOfRITScale.png\")
If a student\u2019s RIT score changes over time, you can be sure that the academic growth of that individual student is the only factor influencing the score. A student can change grades, schools, districts, or even states, and their RIT score will mean the same thing no matter where they are. No one is \u201cmoving the goalposts\u201d with MAP Growth scores, so the RIT score remains highly dependable and illuminating.<\/p>\nHow do students get their RIT score?<\/h2>\n
How do teachers use RIT scores?<\/h2>\n
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Why norms matter<\/h2>\n
How is my student performing relative to peers across the country?<\/em><\/h2>\n
Am I setting realistic yet ambitious goals for student growth?<\/em><\/h2>\n
Are my students or schools making typical progress over time?<\/em><\/h2>\n
Are my struggling students on track to close the gap with their higher-achieving peers?<\/em><\/h2>\n
How should I interpret results when students are not meeting proficiency standards?<\/em><\/h2>\n
Learn more<\/h2>\n
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