Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth

MAP Growth required testing grades:                                 

• Reading: Grades 1-10                                                             
• Math: Grades 3-8; High School by course enrollment of Algebra 1, Geometry or an equivalent course
• Optional testing for non-required grades or contents may occur as a building based decision

Length of assessment: Untimed. The average time to complete a content-area test is between 45-60 minutes.

Tailored to individual students

MAP Growth is an adaptive assessment that provides information for all students regardless of if they are currently below, at, or above grade level. The difficulty of the questions adjusts depending on how each student answers prior questions, allowing the tests to be tailored to each student's level and helping to pinpoint individual student instructional needs.

Next day results

Teachers and students receive individual results immediately after the MAP Growth test is taken. The teacher can receive class results the next day. These real-time results can be put to use right away to enhance quality planning and instruction.

Time savings

MAP Growth tests typically take less than an hour – this is about half the time it took for the assessment used previously. It also saves teachers time because it is scored automatically.

Fall 2024 Benchmark window is from August 15 - September 13

Winter 2024 Benchmark window is December 2 - December 20

Spring 2025 Benchmark window is April 28 - May 16

Please view this MAP Growth family flyer for an overview of the assessment.

Below are translations fo the document:

• MAP Growth Flyer Spanish
• MAP Growth Flyer French
• MAP Growth Flyer Russian
• MAP Growth Flyer Simplified Chinese
• MAP Growth Flyer Vietnamese

For additional information about MAP assessments from NWEA, please visit the MAP Growth website. You may also contact the Assessment Office using the contact information listed below.

• Family Toolkit - NWEA
• MAP Growth Parent Toolkit - Video
• Family Guide to MAP Growth 
• Family Guide to MAP Growth in other languages
• NWEA Blog for Parents
• Sample Family Report

MAP Growth assessments are administered by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a global nonprofit educational services organization. NWEA works with over 7,400 partners in U.S. schools, districts and education agencies to offer student assessments that accurately measure academic growth. Being a nonprofit organization, NWEA can dedicate its resources to ensuring that MAP Growth is both accurate and useful. MAP Growth has been a well-respected, stable measure of student achievement for over 30 years, and they have a long track record of providing timely service to schools and school districts.

Students have unique learning needs, and teachers can best support their students by using timely and accurate information. MAP Growth provides teachers with real-time, actionable data for each student that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards. In addition to current performance, MAP Growth also provides measures of growth that offer both absolute and relative indicators of how a student is progressing. Absolute measures include how the student’s score changed over time. Relative measures include how the change compares to similar students nationally.

MAP Growth results provide important information about the progress students are making toward important educational standards. This information is useful to everyone involved in supporting students.

• Teachers use the information to identify areas of strength and areas of need for individual students and their entire class. MAP Growth provides precise and detailed information that teachers can use to guide their instruction and plan for all their students regardless if they are currently performing below, at, or above grade level.
• Students use the information to better understand how well they are achieving their learning targets and where they need to improve. MAP Growth provides various tools that teachers and students can use to set meaningful goals that can be assessed throughout the year. 
• Parents use the information to monitor their student’s progress and support the attainment of their goals. Parents can see the connection between the reports provided and activities done at home such as reading with their students and monitoring homework. Parents can also discuss the reports with their student’s teacher for questions or for additional ways in which they can work with their students at home. 
• School and district leaders use the information in a body of evidence to determine the strengths and areas of need for a school or instructional program. No single assessment should ever be used alone to determine strengths and areas of need, and MAP Growth serves as another measure or lens to view school and district performance.

Educators, parents and students want schools to measure student achievement and growth without spending too much time on assessments. With this in mind, a team of Jeffco teachers and administrators researched and selected an improved interim assessment. In the spring of 2015, the team unanimously voted to replace the district’s previous assessment with MAP Growth.