Nebraska Approves NWEA Assessments MAP Growth Reading and MAP Reading Fluency to Meet Early Reading Goals of Nebraska Reading Improvement Act

Solution to Help Identify Students At Risk for Reading Difficulties in Grades K-3

Portland, Ore. – March 4, 2019 – NWEA, the not-for-profit provider of assessment solutions, today announced that the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has approved MAP Growth K-2, MAP Growth 2-5, and MAP Reading Fluency, part of the MAP Suite of assessments, for inclusion on the approved reading assessment list as required by the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act. The assessments also support the Nebraska READS initiative, which provides tools and resources to support high-quality literacy instruction for all Nebraska students.

The approval enables all Nebraska public school districts to select and use MAP Growth K-2, MAP Growth 2-5, and MAP Reading Fluency to assess students in kindergarten through third grade and to track their progress toward reading at or above grade level by grade three. These assessments help educators identify students who may have a reading deficiency and provide targeted information on each student’s needs to inform instruction.

MAP Growth K-2 and 2-5 assessments focus on overall performance in reading by measuring and addressing the development of phonemic and phonological awareness, phonics, and concepts of print, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and reading comprehension. MAP Reading Fluency, which takes about 20 minutes to administer to the whole class, focuses on oral reading fluency and literal comprehension, as well as foundational reading skills, listening comprehension, and picture vocabulary.

Together, these assessments provide a more complete view of student learning during the emergent and early stages of literacy development. They meet all of the requirements of the Reading Improvement Act; are aligned with academic content standards for reading established by the state; and include valid, reliable, precise measurement of reading skills.

“Providing teachers with specific instructional needs for each student, MAP Reading Fluency and MAP Growth have allowed our district’s teachers to help our K-3 students make great gains,” said Katie Burger, School Improvement Coordinator for York Public Schools in Nebraska. “Both assessment tools serve our teachers in reaching all students and recognizing their areas of strength and weakness.”

To support teachers, an NWEA Professional Learning Consultant will work with districts that choose MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency as their early reading solution to customize a professional learning plan. In addition, NWEA resources and on-demand training are available free online to help Nebraska educators continue their learning.

Districts throughout Nebraska have been using the MAP Growth assessment for 18 years. MAP Growth is currently used for grades 3-8 by every school district in the state, and 166 Nebraska districts also administer it for grades K-2. MAP Reading Fluency, an innovative and time-saving assessment introduced last year, is used by a growing number of districts across the state. In addition, NWEA is NDE’s partner in delivering the computer-adaptive NSCAS Summative assessment in grades three through eight for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics and grades five and eight for science.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to expand our work with Nebraska schools and teachers to support the implementation of the state’s Reading Improvement Act,” said Chris Minnich, CEO of NWEA. “With our early learning tools, Nebraska teachers will gain back valuable time, get the insights they need to help each student read proficiently, and experience the benefits of a connected solution for grades K-8.”

MAP Growth provides a precise measure of a K-12 student’s academic performance and growth. A computer-adaptive assessment, it adjusts to each student’s responses to provide personalized results about what each student knows, is able to do, and is ready to learn next—whether on, above, or below grade level.

MAP Reading Fluency is an adaptive assessment that quickly measures oral reading fluency, comprehension, and foundational reading skills for students in grades K-3. Group administration enables assessment of an entire class in just 20 minutes. Automatic recording and scoring save teachers time and deliver data that informs reading placement and instruction.

About NWEA

NWEA® is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency— and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative Pre-K-12 assessments, professional learning that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning, and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators in more than 10,000 schools, districts, and education agencies in 141 countries rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™.

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