The purpose of quality student assessment is to help students learn! And teachers teach!”
nwea.org

I love this quote that can be found on the website of our assessment partner, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). It truly demonstrates how quality assessment can enhance a student’s overall educational experience, while providing teachers with the information they need to best assist their education.

Last week, students at the International School of Ouagadougou took the first of three Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments this year. This will help us ensure that your students are making measurable growth in their studies here at ISO.

Three years ago, when I was at a conference in New York, I met with a former Director (from my days of being a science teacher) and a representative from MAP. I mentioned to them that when I return to my school, we will be doing our final MAP test to see how our students are learning and progressing.

My former Director looked at me … confused … and he said: “you don’t give MAP tests at the end of the year, … but in March?” Before I could respond, the representative from MAP said …. “Yes, that is when it should be used. MAP should not be used as an autopsy; it is a diagnostic test. It is to help identify the areas that teachers need to focus on with the students.” I could see the moment of “got it” in my colleague’s eyes.

With that in mind, we used the MAP test before the start of the first quarter to “help students learn, and teachers teach.”

The results from that first MAP test are below, and it will serve as a baseline for this school year. When reading the results, please keep in mind:

• MAP tests are individualized measures of performance in Reading, Math, and Science. Tests are taken on the computer, and the results help teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students in grades K – 10. Results help our teachers and parents work together to make informed decisions that promote the students’ academic growth.
• Each test normally takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. MAP tests are not timed, and are adaptive, which means that the test is designed to target each student’s academic performance. The tests are tailored to each student’s current achievement level; the computer adjusts the difficulty level of the questions as the test progresses. Therefore, each student takes a unique test. This is not a test you can study for.

Last night, at our first Board Meeting of the school year, we presented our first of three MAP results for the year. Our next MAP testing will be on December 5th, and we look forward to seeing our students’ achievement to date during that testing window.

Results below:

Final Notes:

This weekend all ISO Association members can use the school facilities from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. provided they sign up in advance and use this sign-up link.

Second reminder: Friday is a Professional Development Day, and school will not be in session. Enjoy the long weekend!

Jeff