NWEA Administering Assessments with Fidelity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student asks the test administrator to explain what a word means during an MAP Growth reading test. What is the correct response?
- Provide a brief definition to keep the student on track
- Tell the student you cannot help with test content and redirect them to do their best (Correct answer)
- Allow the student to use a dictionary as a reasonable accommodation
- Skip the question and move on to the next one
Correct answer: Tell the student you cannot help with test content and redirect them to do their best
Test administrators must not provide assistance with test content, including defining words, to maintain assessment fidelity.
Question 2: Which of the following is a key purpose of maintaining standardized testing conditions during NWEA MAP administration?
- To make the test easier for struggling students
- To ensure results are comparable and valid across all students (Correct answer)
- To reduce the amount of time needed for testing
- To allow teachers to identify which questions students find hardest
Correct answer: To ensure results are comparable and valid across all students
Standardized conditions ensure that scores reflect students' actual abilities rather than variations in testing environment.
Question 3: A proctor notices that two students are seated close enough to see each other's screens during MAP testing. What should the proctor do?
- Continue monitoring but note the incident in the report
- Immediately separate the students or reposition screens before testing continues (Correct answer)
- End the session for both students and report them for cheating
- Allow testing to continue since MAP uses adaptive questions that differ per student
Correct answer: Immediately separate the students or reposition screens before testing continues
Even though MAP questions adapt per student, proctors must maintain secure seating arrangements as part of standardized administration.
Question 4: When should a test administrator review the NWEA Test Administration Manual prior to testing?
- Only when administering MAP for the first time
- Before each testing window to refresh on current protocols (Correct answer)
- Only when directed by the school's testing coordinator
- After testing is complete to verify procedures were followed
Correct answer: Before each testing window to refresh on current protocols
Administrators should review the manual before each testing window because procedures and policies can be updated.
Question 5: Which action by a test administrator would be considered a breach of MAP testing fidelity?
- Reading the scripted directions aloud to students
- Telling a student to guess if they're unsure rather than skipping (Correct answer)
- Reminding students to check their work before submitting
- Pausing the test for a scheduled class break
Correct answer: Telling a student to guess if they're unsure rather than skipping
Instructing students to guess introduces coaching that can inflate scores and violates standardized administration protocols.
Question 6: A school's MAP testing schedule requires all students in a grade to test simultaneously, but the computer lab only holds half the class. What is the best approach?
- Allow both halves to test in the same room by sharing devices
- Schedule two separate sessions and ensure neither group discusses the test between sessions (Correct answer)
- Have teachers administer a paper version to the second group simultaneously
- Test only the students who fit in the lab and reschedule the rest later in the week without restrictions
Correct answer: Schedule two separate sessions and ensure neither group discusses the test between sessions
When split sessions are necessary, students who have tested must be prevented from sharing test content with those who have not yet tested.
Question 7: During MAP testing, a student's computer freezes and the session is interrupted. What is the appropriate next step?
- Have the student restart the test from the beginning
- Contact NWEA immediately before taking any action
- Resume the suspended session from where the student left off using the proctor console (Correct answer)
- Record the technical issue and exclude the student's data from analysis
Correct answer: Resume the suspended session from where the student left off using the proctor console
MAP Growth allows administrators to resume a suspended session so the student continues from the point of interruption without losing progress.
NWEA Administering Assessments with Fidelity 2
A student asks the test administrator to explain what a word means during an MAP Growth reading test.
What is the correct response?