We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
The principal at Meadowlark Elementary School, Mr. Shane Bartschi addressed the parents of school age children in the school’s monthly newsletter, KidsBits, by thanking them and by sharing various announcements for January. That news includes notice of MAP testing. An acronym for “Measures of Academic Progress,” MAP testing will occur from January 25 through February 1.
“Thank you to everyone—parents, community members, and staff—that have helped to keep us in the building. Things like parents monitoring their child's health, community assistance, and teachers being creative and stepping up to perform extra measures are keeping us in school. I am proud to be part of a community that supports their school. Our children are getting a full education due to these efforts,” Bartchi wrote.
He also explained that school officials will begin their second benchmark testing using MAP reading/math assessments and DIBELS fluency assessment. “We are looking forward to seeing growth in our students and addressing any areas that may need improvement,” Bartchi said.
During the testing window of January 25 through February 1, each classroom has scheduled periods for assessments in mathematics, language, and reading. In an effort to keep interruptions to a minimum during this time and to ensure efficient and accurate testing of all students, Bartchi encourages timely attendance, concerted efforts to avoid absences during these days, and monitoring students’ sleeping and eating patterns.
“Ensuring that your child obtains a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast will get your child off to a good start each morning,” Bartchi stated.
According to the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), these computer adaptive tests measure achievement. “MAP dynamically adapts to a student’s responses – as they take the test. Answer a question correctly, and the test presents a more challenging item. Miss a question, and MAP offers a simpler item. In this way, the test narrows in on a student’s learning level, engaging them with content that allows them to succeed.”
Once the testing is complete, NWEA will provide the school with MAP scores. Using MAP data, teachers can draw inferences and apply this actionable evidence to target instruction, confidently tailoring it to challenge every student, whether that student is above, below, or at grade level. MAP Growth student reports also present realistic learning goals by subject areas so that, through a teacher’s guidance, students can individually see their progress and be inspired to take charge of their own learning.
The other testing instrument, DIBELS is an acronym for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. The DIBELS test assesses accuracy and fluency with reading and measures a reader’s ability to effortlessly translate letters to sounds and sounds to words.
Through various subtests, DIBELS can measure critical skills and abilities that are necessary for reading success, like fluency. The fluent reader is one whose decoding processes are automatic, requiring no conscious attention. Such capacity then enables readers to allocate their attention to the comprehension and meaning of the text. Such progress monitoring enables teachers to change and intensify intervention until the desired pattern of literacy improvement is achieved.
