State Superintendent of Education, Tony Evers’ agenda is “Every Child a Graduate,” which has four parts, including 1) Standards and Instruction; 2) Assessments and Data Systems; 3) Accountability for Systems and Individuals; and 4) School Finance Reform. The Assessment portion is supposed to replace the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) with a test that is taken on-line, is adaptive, and can gauge student progress throughout the year. The components of the test seem very similar to the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test that the Richland School District already uses.
The District has been using MAP since 2006 for grades 3-8 and grade 10, with the Kindergarten through grade 2 being added in 2007. The test is a growth model test, which means it measures how much the student has learned over time. The test is given twice a year; once in the fall and again in the spring. School officials and parents can review the results and compare growth over time. For example, from spring to fall to examine “loss” over the summer months or from fall to spring to examine growth over the year. Some schools give a winter exam so classrooms can be adjusted in mid-year.
The MAP test is a continuum of learning and adjusts the test questions based upon the individual student’s answers. If a child is answering correctly, the questions get more difficult whereas if the child answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. The goal is to have the child get approximately 50% correct and 50% wrong in order to pinpoint the location on the continuum.
The test is only good if the data is used to make a difference in the classroom. Teachers use the data to modify their classroom activities and teaching styles. Some teachers use the data to develop individual programs for individual students. The District also uses another computer-generated program called Compass Learning. This software analyzes a student’s test to identify specific skills the student is missing, and then it creates instructional activities to specifically target that item to help the student learn it.
Right now the District uses the MAP test in Reading, Language Arts and Math. There is the option to purchase it for Science and Social Studies, however that decision has been put on hold for the time being. One reason is that it has taken time for all district staff to learn to effectively use the data, and the other reason is that the State is looking into a new assessment tool, which appears to be very similar to MAP. MAP testing runs from September 19th through the 30th in the Richland School District.