How does schooling affect inequality in students’ academic skills? This study uses seasonal comparisons to examine the possibilities that schooling exacerbates, reduces, or reproduces overall skill inequality in math, reading, language use, and science with recent national data on US public school students spanning numerous grade levels from the NWEA MAP Growth assessment. Results suggest that schooling has a compensatory effect on inequality in reading, language, and science skills but not math skills. Theoretical implications of findings are discussed.
By: Dennis Condron, Douglas Downery, Megan Kuhfeld
Disparities and discrimination in student discipline by race and family income
Black and poor students are suspended from U.S. schools at higher rates than White and nonpoor students. While the existence of these disparities has been clear, the causes have not. By comparing the punishments given to Black and White (or poor and nonpoor) students who fight one another, the study addresses a challenge that has kept prior studies from identifying discrimination in student discipline. It finds that Black and poor students are punished more harshly than the students with whom they fight.
By: Nathan Barrett, Andrew McEachin, Jonathan Mills, Jon Valant
Topics: Equity
Six insights regarding test-taking disengagement
There has been increasing concern about the presence of disengaged test taking in international assessment programs and its implications for the validity of inferences made regarding a country’s level of educational attainment. In this paper, the author discusses six important insights yielded by 20 years of research on this and implications for assessment programs.
By: Steven Wise
Predictors and consequences of school mobility in middle childhood
This study examined family factors associated with school mobility and if either a move during the previous year or cumulative moves across elementary school were related to child functioning. School mobility during elementary school did not appear to be a pervasive risk although the authors were unable to study very high rates of school mobility because of very small sample sizes.
By: Deborah Lowe Vandell, Megan Kuhfeld, Elizabeth Gershoff, Robert Crosnoe
Topics: Middle school, Social-emotional learning
Spanish MAP Reading Fluency content guide
This document presents the test design and specifications for Spanish MAP Reading Fluency.
By: Kayla McLaughlin, John Newburn, Carmen Hall, Mary Ann Simpson
Products: MAP Reading Fluency, MAP Spanish
Topics: Test design, Academic content, Assessments in Spanish
MAP Reading Fluency theory of action
The MAP Reading Fluency theory of action shows the hypothesized mechanisms of change and intermediate goals leading to the overarching goal of helping all students read fluently with comprehension.
By: Mary Ann Simpson
Products: MAP Reading Fluency
Topics: Equity, Measurement & scaling
Learning during COVID-19: Reading and math achievement in the 2020-2021 school year
To what extent did COVID-19 disruptions affect student achievement in 2020-2021, and which students have been most affected? New NWEA research aims to provide insight to inform leaders working to support recovery: using data from 5.5 million students in grades 3-8 who took MAP Growth assessments in reading and math, this brief examines how gains across the 2020-21 school year and student achievement in spring 2021 compare to pre-pandemic trends.
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity