Pittsburgh schools to start using MAP® Growth™ in grades K–10 this fall

More than 23,000 students in Pittsburgh will be measured several times per year to test for academic growth.

 

Pittsburgh, PA and Portland, OR—Aug. 29, 2019: Pittsburgh teachers will have a new tool in the classroom that measures what students know and how much they’ve learned. In late July, the Pittsburgh Board of Education approved MAP® Growth™, an interim assessment solution provided by not-for-profit educational assessment organization, NWEA.

MAP Growth provides a precise measure of a 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, can do, and is ready to learn next—whether on, above, or below grade level. The assessment solution will be available to schools starting this school year and it replaces the current District Predictive Assessment and quarterly math, reading and science assessments.

“We’re excited to partner with Pittsburgh schools to provide an assessment solution that informs teachers, parents and school staff on the academic progress of students,” said Chris Minnich, CEO of NWEA. “Thanks to its computeradaptive structure, MAP® Growth™ not only provides valuable, reliable growth data but it does it in a timely manner, so teachers can use the information right away to impact curriculum and ultimately help all kids learn.”

Pittsburgh schools plan to administer the MAP® Growth™ assessment three times per year in Grades 1–10 in reading, math and writing. The assessment will be optional in grades 11 and 12. The district is still determining if Kindergarten students will be tested twice or three times per year. In addition, the district is considering using the MAP® Growth™ science assessment in grades 3–8.

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. 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™. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, simona.beattie@nwea.org or 971.361.9526.