Do students make growth if they don't make the actual target?

1. MAP Growth
Do students make growth if they didn’t make the actual target?

2. So – remind me again about how MAP
Growth Targets are determined.
• Growth Targets are established based on the FALL MAP assessment
• MAP is nationally normed
• SO – the targets are created from the national norm studies
• The Growth Target is ALWAYS calculated from Fall to Spring
• National norm studies determined the typical growth from the Fall test to the
Spring test
• The study did not include Winter MAP because growth is calculated across
the entire grade level year, not just half of it
• The GROWTH TARGET essentially bypasses the winter RIT

3. What is the target based on?
• Chronological age/Grade level
• National Norms
• Typical Growth
• Statistical Models

4. Can we adjust the target?
• Yes – using the “Goal Setting Worksheet” on the NWEA/MAP
Administration Site (where teachers go to proctor the test)

5. The student has a RIT range that is closer to mid-year of the next grade level. The student grew
28 points from Fall to Winter. Is it probable that the student would grow that much again from
Winter to Spring? Probably not – the initial goal from Fall to Spring was 14 points.
We should look at the end of the next grade level norms (since the student
is scoring at about the mid-year point right now) and see what RIT number
that is. In this case, it would require 4 points more growth. Is that enough?
Probably not – how about we settle on a reasonable number: 8 points of growth from Winter
to Spring is probably reasonable. Let’s put “8” in the “My Goal” line on this worksheet.
8

6. What if the student does not reach that “8”
number we chose?
• Well, you attempted to make the goal reasonable and realistic, right?
• In dialogue with the student, you both decide that we probably made
the goal too high that time, but ‘reward’ the approximation the
student made to the goal
• As part of that conversation, look at the specific areas to target (math
example): was it Number and Operations? Algebraic Thinking?
Geometry?
• Structure your goal setting to focus on the area of relative need as
you ALSO look at the area of relative strength!

7. What if the student exceeds the goal?
• Compare the results of MAP with all the other data points you have
• Does the student perform like this in class?
• Do the in – class test scores reflect the same high results?
• Does the student exhibit learner behaviors that are consistent with the RIT
scores?
• Is the student being appropriately challenged in class?
• Do we need to look at extension activities?
• Is the student scoring well because s/he already knew what we are working
on, but once we hit higher level concepts, they will be more “in range” of the
median?

8. Remind me again about that +/- 3…
• Remember that growth targets are accurate within + or – 3 RIT points
• Remember also that ANY increase in a student score that exceeds 3
RIT points is significant
• Remember that the TARGET is based on national norms
• While yes, we want students to make TARGETED (typical) growth, we
still want to recognize and celebrate any significant growth!