MAP is an acronym for Measures of Academic Progress and is created by NWEA, the Northwest Evaluation Association. Answers to some common questions about the MAP test may be found at this link. A description of academic growth with the MAP assessment may be found at this link.
The Iowa TIER (Tools for Innovation and Educational Results) Assessments were recently purchased by the State of Iowa from TIES, in Minnesota. The FAST screenings (Formative Assessment for System for Teachers) are used as a part of an RTI (Response to Intervention) or a MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) for our students. These tests are provided at no cost to Iowa schools for students in grades K-6.
Both testing platforms recently made significant updates to be more compatible with tablet computers. This included created free iPad Apps that students may use to take the tests. In the past, they both had been geared towards use on desktop computers only. There is still significant time put into creating student login accounts ahead of time by District personnel.
| The NWEA Map testing application is now available on all elementary student and teacher iPads in our District. It is either already installed on the iPads or available in Self Service under the 'Accounts' category. It is also available on Apple's App Store, but Self Service is the preferred method of installation. Students at Grinnell-Newburg Schools in grades K-4 will be using this for the first time in the 2017-2018 school year. |  |
| Iowa Tier FAST Testing may also be completed on iPads using the Safari web browser. Click here to read more about FAST testing this coming school year. |
In past years, classes would take turns using the building computer labs for both tests. Now, students will be completing the test on their iPad in their classroom. The iPad has a touchscreen interface instead of the mouse and keyboard of the desktop computer. Every K-4 student is now issued their own iPad to use. They remain on-site, but are used by students throughout the school day.
It will be interesting to see how the testing experience affects scores and the logistics behind getting all students tested. I speculate that scores will either be unchanged or improve and that the logistics changes will mean that students will spend less classroom time disrupted by the test and return sooner to their normal routine.
In past years students frequently had difficulty completing the FAST test, but this was found to be primarily due to the hosting company and no fault of the schools. With some significant changes in the last 6 months, this will hopefully not happen this school year.
