Measure of Academic Progress (MAP)

What is MAP? 

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a state-aligned computerized adaptive assessment program that provides educators with the information they need to improve teaching and learning and make student-focused, data-driven decisions. Educators use the growth and achievement data from MAP to develop targeted instructional strategies and to plan school improvement. Students in grades 1 through 8 are tested three times per year in math, reading, and language usage. 

Student MAP Scores

Student MAP testing results are reported in RIT scores (short for Rasch Unit). A RIT score is an estimation of a student's instructional level and also measures student progress or growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child's height at certain times, such as on his or her birthday. This is a growth chart to show how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. MAP assessments do the same sort of thing, except they measure your student's growth in mathematics, reading, and language usage. The RIT scale is an equal-interval scale much like feet and inches on a yardstick. It is used to chart your child's academic growth from year to year. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to pinpoint what students have learned and what students are ready to learn. 

Growth Over Time

We expect RIT scores to increase over time. Typically, younger students show more growth in one year than older students. Students who test above grade level often show less growth. Sometimes RIT scores may decline from one test to the next. One low test score is not cause for immediate concern. Like adults, students have good and bad days and their test results do not always indicate what they know. Students' attitudes toward the test can also affect their score. Therefore, growth over time is a better measure of student learning. 

Parents and guardians should become comfortable with the understanding that individuals will grow at different rates. Anticipated growth rates for each student are based on national norms and should be viewed as "typical" growth, not expected growth. Teachers and principals have participated in training to learn what the MAP test results mean and how to best utilize the results. Our goal is for teachers to use the data to differentiate and adjust instruction so that all students grow at levels appropriate for each individual.

Understanding the RIT Score

The growth guideline charts show national median RIT scores for grades 1-10 in a typical school district. You may use these charts to help determine if your student is performing at, above, or below grade level compared to students across the nation. It is important to understand that the MAP test is one test at one point in time. It does not measure intelligence or a student's capacity for learning. When making important decisions about students, school staff will consider the MAP results along with other data such as classroom performance, other test scores, and input from parents and teachers. 

Below are 3 charts to help you interpret your child's level based on their RIT scores. Make sure to choose the correct grade level, as well as the correct testing term when looking at the chart. Keep in mind that these scores are the means per grade level. If your child falls above the mean, he or she is testing above grade level. If your child falls below the mean, he or she is testing below grade level. 

For example, if your child is in the fourth grade and he is scoring a 200 in Language Usage in the Middle-of-Year, he is scoring slightly below grade level. (Mean score is 204.4)

By clicking here, you will find documents that will help you achieve your child's learning goals. Use your child's RIT score to see what he or she is ready to begin learning.  

In summary, MAP:

 -Is not an accountability test

 -Generates test questions based on student responses

 -Reports student results in RIT scores

 -Gives immediate results

 -Is aligned to SC curriculum standards

 -Measures growth over time

 -Provides information used to target individual instruction