{"id":26513,"date":"2026-05-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/?p=26513"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:46:11","slug":"how-to-use-and-talk-about-the-map-growth-family-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/blog\/2026\/how-to-use-and-talk-about-the-map-growth-family-report\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use (and talk about) the MAP Growth Family report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Drop by any running trail on a nice weekend morning, and you\u2019re likely to find someone training for a marathon\u2014tracking their pace, counting laps and miles, maybe even measuring their heart rate. While these data points are invaluable to the aspiring marathoner, they don\u2019t tell the whole story of the runner\u2019s journey or the progress they\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n

Ever mindful of the fact that education is a marathon, not a sprint, the folks behind the interim assessment MAP\u00ae Growth\u2122<\/a> are always thinking about the stories that need to be told about assessment data\u2014along with who needs to hear those stories and how to make complex data relatable. Students\u2019 Rausch unit (RIT) scores<\/a> and achievement percentiles are key pieces of information in the classroom, but how can educators help students and their families use these numbers to share a comprehensible story at home?<\/p>\n

Enter the MAP Growth Family report: a translational tool for presenting a student\u2019s achievement, growth, and projected proficiency in a format accessible to any family member. Covering reading, science, language arts, and math, the Family report shows key assessment results, organized by term.<\/p>\n

This article will walk you through what\u2019s in the report, how to access it, and how to use it to have meaningful conversations with families of students at any grade level.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in the MAP Growth Family report<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with a quick overview using a fictional student, Shelley, as an example. Upon first glance, Shelley\u2019s family will see that the report is organized by subject and two side-by-side panels describing her achievement and growth.<\/p>\n

Achievement shows Shelley\u2019s RIT score at a single moment in time and places her in a percentile compared to same-grade US students. (Shelley\u2019s percentile of 46% means she scored higher than 46% of her peers.)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Growth shows how Shelley\u2019s performance changed across two moments in time (in this example, fall and spring). Again, a percentile is given to show Shelley\u2019s rate of progress relative to her peers.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The report also includes important details about projected proficiency so that Shelley\u2019s family can get a reality check on their student\u2019s readiness for future tests and college. Based on her achievement and growth, the report might inform the family that Shelley is likely to be \u201cbelow proficient\u201d on the NWEA Generic Linking Study, \u201cnot on track\u201d on the ACT College Readiness, and \u201cnot on track\u201d on the SAT.<\/p>\n

These projections can raise a lot of questions and concerns for families. That\u2019s why, at the bottom of the report, families will find a small goldmine of questions they can ask teachers, including, What kinds of strategies are you using that I might be able to reinforce at home? Does my child need help in any specific areas? When will I get another update on my child\u2019s growth?<\/p>\n

Achievement and growth: The core distinction<\/h2>\n

Jenna Talos, an NWEA professional learning<\/a> consultant, makes an interesting observation about the Family report: Even though achievement and growth are given equal space, \u201cFamilies go right to achievement every time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to understand this emphasis on achievement scores. Families want to know whether their child is ahead of their peers, keeping up, or falling behind. But as Jenna points out, it\u2019s important for families to understand that a major benefit of MAP Growth is that it tracks growth over time\u2014\u201cnot from point A to point B but, rather, from point A to points E, F, and G.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depending on subject area and student performance, a complex picture of achievement versus growth may emerge from the assessment data. Here\u2019s how families can begin to make sense of some of the most common achievement\/growth combinations they may encounter:<\/p>\n