NWEA Using Data for Instruction 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A second-grade teacher has a student who scored in the 15th percentile on MAP Growth in math. According to NWEA guidance, this percentile indicates:
- The student has mastered only 15% of math standards
- The student scored higher than 15% of students nationally in the same grade and test season (Correct answer)
- The student needs to score 85 more points to reach grade level
- The student is 15 months behind grade level
Correct answer: The student scored higher than 15% of students nationally in the same grade and test season
Percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in the national norm group that a student scored higher than or equal to.
Question 2: A teacher is designing a tiered intervention system using MAP Growth data. Students scoring below the 25th percentile will receive Tier 2 support. What should guide the specific content of that Tier 2 instruction?
- A generic intervention curriculum applied to all Tier 2 students equally
- The specific goal areas where each student shows the greatest need based on their MAP goal area scores (Correct answer)
- The overall RIT score alone without regard to goal area breakdowns
- Student behavior records and attendance data
Correct answer: The specific goal areas where each student shows the greatest need based on their MAP goal area scores
Goal area data within MAP Growth identifies the specific skills each student needs, enabling individualized Tier 2 instruction rather than generic support.
Question 3: Which best describes the difference between a student's RIT score and their grade-level norm score on MAP Growth?
- The RIT score tells you the grade the student is performing at, while the norm shows their potential
- The RIT score reflects where the student currently performs, while the norm shows where typical students at that grade and season score (Correct answer)
- The norm score is always higher than the RIT score for struggling students
- The RIT score and norm score measure different academic subjects
Correct answer: The RIT score reflects where the student currently performs, while the norm shows where typical students at that grade and season score
A student's RIT score reflects their current performance level, and the grade-level norm shows the median performance of students nationally at the same grade and testing season.
Question 4: A middle school counselor wants to use MAP Growth data to support college and career readiness conversations with eighth graders. The most relevant data point for this purpose is:
- The student's RIT score from third grade
- The student's current RIT score compared to NWEA's college readiness benchmarks for 8th grade (Correct answer)
- The student's growth rate compared to peers in their homeroom
- The student's lowest goal area score from the previous year
Correct answer: The student's current RIT score compared to NWEA's college readiness benchmarks for 8th grade
NWEA provides college readiness benchmarks linked to RIT scores that help counselors identify whether students are on track for post-secondary success.
Question 5: After reviewing MAP Growth data, a teacher plans three instructional levels for a reading lesson: on-level, scaffolded, and extended. This approach is best described as:
- Tracking students into permanent reading groups
- Differentiated instruction based on RIT-identified readiness levels (Correct answer)
- Teaching below grade level to all students
- Ignoring MAP data in favor of teacher judgment
Correct answer: Differentiated instruction based on RIT-identified readiness levels
Planning multiple instructional levels based on MAP RIT data is a direct application of differentiated instruction responsive to assessed student readiness.
Question 6: A teacher receives MAP Growth results showing that a student met their projected growth target in reading but remains below the grade-level norm. What is the most accurate interpretation?
- The student made sufficient progress and no further action is needed
- The student grew at the expected rate but still needs continued support to close the gap with grade-level peers (Correct answer)
- The student's growth projection was set too low and should be adjusted upward immediately
- The student's results suggest the MAP test was inaccurate
Correct answer: The student grew at the expected rate but still needs continued support to close the gap with grade-level peers
Meeting a growth projection means the student is on a positive trajectory, but being below the norm indicates continued intervention is needed to achieve grade-level proficiency.
Question 7: Which action best demonstrates a school's commitment to using MAP Growth data for continuous improvement rather than just accountability?
- Publishing MAP scores publicly to motivate students and families
- Using MAP data in regular instructional planning cycles to adjust teaching strategies and monitor the impact of changes (Correct answer)
- Administering MAP only in years when the school is under state review
- Comparing MAP scores across schools to rank them annually
Correct answer: Using MAP data in regular instructional planning cycles to adjust teaching strategies and monitor the impact of changes
Embedding MAP data into ongoing instructional planning cycles and monitoring the impact of instructional changes reflects genuine continuous improvement use of the data.
NWEA Using Data for Instruction 5
A second-grade teacher has a student who scored in the 15th percentile on MAP Growth in math.
According to NWEA guidance, this percentile indicates: