MAP Growth ParentConnect Guide

 

What is MAP Growth?

MAP Growth is a benchmark assessment required by the state of Alaska for students in grades 3-9 as part of the Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) and is administered in the fall and winter as stand-alone benchmark assessments in mathematics and reading.  In the spring, MAP Growth is an integrated component of the AK STAR English Language Arts and mathematics assessments to provide both AK STAR and MAP Growth results.  The purpose of MAP Growth is to measure progress toward meeting standards and to measure growth on a continuum of learning.

 

Sample ParentConnect MAP Growth Report

The sample report shows what MAP Growth results look like in Q ParentConnect.  The information that follows provides an explanation of what each heading means. Please contact your child’s principal, teacher or counselor for more support with MAP Growth results

Term: Season - Fall, Winter or Spring

 

Date Taken: Date a student takes the assessment during the fall, winter or spring window

 

Grade: Student grade level on test day 

 

Test: Content Area Name - Overall with Grade-Level Span and SubTest  

• Overall: Reading, Math (all Terms) or Language Usage (spring only) 
• SubTest: Instructional Area - varies by grade level and content area

 

RIT: Achievement Scale Score

 

Achievement Descriptor: Student performance as a description for the given Term; used to compare to other same-grade US students

• Overall: Achievement descriptor and color code
• SubTest: Achievement descriptor

 

 

Achievement Percentile - Overall: Student performance as a percentage-based (percentile) ranking for the given Term; used to compare to other same-grade US students

• Example: A student with an Achievement Percentile of 60, means this student scored higher than 60% of students nationwide

 

 

Growth Window - Overall: Student growth comparison period

• Fall to Winter or Fall to Spring 

 

Growth Descriptor - Overall: A student's growth as a description as compared with the growth patterns of matching peers within the NWEA norms study - same grade, starting RIT score and weeks of instruction before testing

 

Growth Percentile - Overall: A student's growth as a percentage-based (percentile) ranking as compared with the growth patterns of matching peers within the NWEA norms study - same grade, starting RIT score and weeks of instruction before testing

• Example: A student with a Growth Percentile of 60, means this student demonstrated higher growth than 60% of students nationwide during the Growth Window

 

 

Duration: The amount of time, in minutes, a student took on a MAP Growth test

 

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For more information on which students test, RIT scores, norms, percentiles, achievement and growth, please see the following Tables, 1-3, of the Parent Guide:

• Table 1: MAP Growth Test Names, Instructional Areas and Grade-Levels Tested
• Table 2: RIT Score, Norms and Percentiles*
• Table 3: Achievement and Growth: Levels, Descriptors and Color Coding

 

Table 1: MAP Growth Test Names, Instructional Areas and Grade-Levels Tested

MAP Growth Test Name and Grade-Level Span	Instructional Area by Test Name
Mathematics 2-5	Measurement and Data Geometry Operations and Algebraic Thinking Numbers and Operations
Mathematics 6+	Operations and Algebraic Thinking Geometry Statistics and Probability The Real and Complex Number Systems
Reading 2-5 and Reading 6+	Literary Text Vocabulary Informational Text
Language Usage 2-12	Language: Understand, Edit for Grammar, Usage Language: Understand, Edit Mechanics Writing: Plan, Organize, Develop, Revise, Research
Grade Levels Tested and Terms	Content Areas
Grades 3-9 - all students fall, winter and spring required	Reading (all Terms) Mathematics (all Terms) Language Usage (spring only)
Grades 10-12 - any student identified as needing Tier II or Tier III intervention fall and spring required	Based on intervention content area - either or both Reading Mathematics

  

 

Table 2: RIT Score, Norms and Percentiles*

RIT Score	MAP Growth uses the RIT (Rasch Unit) scale to measure and compare academic achievement and growth.  A RIT score is independent of the age or grade of a student and reflects the instructional level where a student is ready to learn, helping teachers plan instruction at an appropriate level for the student.   The RIT scale measures levels of academic difficulty and extends equally across all grades, making it possible to compare a student's RIT score at various points throughout the student’s education.
Achievement and Growth Norms*	MAP Growth Normative Data Overview and Charts - Current norms based on 2020 Norming Study
Percentiles/Percentile Ranking	A student’s percentile rank is the percentage of students who had a RIT score less than or equal to this score as observed in the NWEA norms study.  This allows a student to be compared to similar students across the nation who took MAP Growth during the same term or window.

 

*NWEA has updated MAP Growth Norms

• MAP Growth assessment data reported through the 2024-2025 school year are based on the 2020 MAP Growth norms.
• Starting in the fall of 2025, all MAP Growth assessment data will reflect the new NWEA 2025 MAP Growth norms.

 

Table 3: Achievement and Growth: Levels, Descriptors and Color Coding*

Low	Low Average	Average	High Average	High
<21 %ile	21-40 %ile	41-60 %ile	61-80 %ile	>80 %ile

*Quintiles: Five percentile levels based on NWEA normative data

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For a printable PDF version, click here.