NWEA Navigating the Learning Continuum 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of assessment is MAP Growth classified as within a balanced assessment system?
- Summative assessment
- Diagnostic formative assessment / interim assessment (Correct answer)
- Observational classroom assessment
- Portfolio-based performance assessment
Correct answer: Diagnostic formative assessment / interim assessment
MAP Growth is an interim/formative assessment used periodically during the year to inform instructional decisions, not to assign final grades.
Question 2: A student's MAP Growth Reading score places her in the Language Usage goal area at RIT 215. According to the Learning Continuum, which action is most appropriate?
- Teach her 4th-grade Language Arts standards regardless of her RIT
- Identify skill descriptors in the 211–220 RIT band for Language Usage and target instruction there (Correct answer)
- Move her to a lower grade classroom
- Administer the test again immediately to confirm the score
Correct answer: Identify skill descriptors in the 211–220 RIT band for Language Usage and target instruction there
Using the 211–220 RIT band descriptors from the Learning Continuum ensures instruction is matched to her actual performance level.
Question 3: What is the relationship between NWEA MAP Growth and college readiness benchmarks?
- MAP Growth has no connection to college readiness research
- NWEA has linked specific RIT scores to ACT and SAT college readiness benchmarks to project post-secondary readiness (Correct answer)
- MAP Growth replaces ACT/SAT for college admission
- College readiness is only reported for 12th-grade MAP testers
Correct answer: NWEA has linked specific RIT scores to ACT and SAT college readiness benchmarks to project post-secondary readiness
NWEA research has crosswalked MAP RIT scores to ACT and SAT benchmarks, allowing schools to project students' college readiness trajectories early.
Question 4: When a district sets an 'achievement-to-standard' goal using MAP Growth, what are they measuring?
- How many students took the MAP test
- The RIT score a student needs to demonstrate proficiency on the state summative assessment (Correct answer)
- The average growth rate across all grade levels
- The number of instructional minutes devoted to test preparation
Correct answer: The RIT score a student needs to demonstrate proficiency on the state summative assessment
Achievement-to-standard goals use crosswalk data to identify the MAP RIT score that predicts proficiency on a state summative test.
Question 5: How does the concept of 'student growth percentile' differ from 'achievement percentile' in NWEA reporting?
- They are identical measures reported under different names
- Achievement percentile shows where a student scores compared to peers; growth percentile shows how much a student grew compared to peers with the same start score (Correct answer)
- Growth percentile is only calculated for students who declined in score
- Achievement percentile is calculated only at the district level
Correct answer: Achievement percentile shows where a student scores compared to peers; growth percentile shows how much a student grew compared to peers with the same start score
Achievement percentile reflects status (where the student is now), while growth percentile reflects trajectory (how much growth occurred relative to similar-starting peers).
Question 6: A MAP Growth report shows a student has a 'projected proficiency' of 68% on the state test. What does this percentage represent?
- The percentage of state test questions the student will answer correctly
- The statistical probability that the student will score proficient on the state summative assessment based on current RIT (Correct answer)
- The percentage of Learning Continuum skills the student has mastered
- The student's national percentile rank
Correct answer: The statistical probability that the student will score proficient on the state summative assessment based on current RIT
Projected proficiency is a probability estimate derived from crosswalk research linking the student's current RIT score to state test performance data.
Question 7: Which stakeholder group is the NWEA Learning Continuum primarily designed to support?
- State legislators writing education policy
- Teachers and instructional coaches planning and differentiating instruction (Correct answer)
- Students selecting their own learning materials independently
- Parents choosing between school programs
Correct answer: Teachers and instructional coaches planning and differentiating instruction
The Learning Continuum is a teacher-facing instructional resource that maps skills to RIT ranges to help educators plan targeted, differentiated instruction.
NWEA Navigating the Learning Continuum 5
Which type of assessment is MAP Growth classified as within a balanced assessment system?