Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education


Quantitative Growth: NWEA MAP



Table of Contents



Introduction
Overview of NWEA MAP
NWEA MAP Sample Questions
Summary of NWEA MAP Data
Data Analysis
Individual Student Examples of Growth
More Examples of Student Growth
Conclusion




Introduction





Dramatic Academic Growth: Quantitative



To show Quantitative Dramatic Academic Growth for my English Language Arts (ELA) students, we use NWEA MAP testing that provides several data points for students over the course of their education at Bridges PCS. These data points are used to ensure that students are making dramatic academic growth, and growth is shared with students and their families so that they understand the strides in growth their students are making in the classroom.


There are three main points of data that are collected to determine student growth. The first growth point, beginning of year (BOY) data, is a baseline that shows where students are when they enter the year. Middle of year (MOY) data is usually tested for either at the end of December or the beginning of January, and shows the progress students are making mid-year. End of year (EOY) data is taken at the end of the school year to show student growth over the course of the entire school year.


This school year, 2019-2020, EOY data will not be collected due to COVID-19.




Overview of NWEA MAP





What is NWEA MAP test?



The NWEA MAP is a standardized test that provides data points for students for reading, language usage, math, and science. NWEA MAP provides this information in a variety of formats so that the information is easily shared between teachers, students, and families. NWEA MAP tests three different subjects for students in the fourth grade at Bridges PCS: reading, language usage, and math. Science is tested beginning in the fifth grade.


The NWEA MAP assessment is a way to prepare students for the PARCC test, the end of year test in Washington, D.C. that shows student growth from year to year and shows which students are ready for the grade they were entering. Students who do not perform well on the NWEA MAP are likely to not perform well on the PARCC assessment. NWEA provides a correlation chart to show where students should be performing at the beginning, middle, and end of each school year for each grade. For fourth grade, students should score 198.2 at the beginning of the year (BOY norm), 203.6 in the middle of the year (MOY norm), and 205.9 at the end of the year (EOY norm).


Please click on the link below to learn more about NWEA MAP testing.


Link to NWEA MAP Website (NWEA Home, n.d.)

Above is the correlation chart for scores and grade year for each testing window (BOY, MOY, EOY) (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Above is an example of a high-achieving student profile from the teacher portal of NWEA (NWEA Home, n.d.). This MOY data point suggests that this student is testing at a late 7th grade, early 8th grade level in reading. The student profiles are quick ways to monitor student progress in the three tested areas of NWEA MAP, reading, language, and math.



Above is an example of a middle-achieving student profile from the teacher portal of NWEA (NWEA Home, n.d.). This MOY data point suggests that this student is testing at a late 3rd grade, early 4th grade level in reading. The student profiles are quick ways to monitor student progress in the three tested areas of NWEA MAP, reading, language, and math.



Above is an example of a lower-achieving student profile from the teacher portal of NWEA (NWEA Home, n.d.). This MOY data point suggests that this student is testing at a mid 1st grade level in reading. The student profiles are quick ways to monitor student progress in the three tested areas of NWEA MAP, reading, language, and math.




NWEA MAP Sample Questions





What does the NWEA MAP test look like?



The NWEA MAP is an online test, and students take their MOY, BOY, and EOY assessments online on our school computers. Students are required to log into the assessment with a teacher-provided, time-sensitive login code. This ensures that students are only taking the test in the allotted time window.


When students enter the reading test, they are required to read (or listen, with accommodations) to text on a screen in order to answer the question sets that accompany the text. Students are given access to virtual tools like the highlighter, a notepad, and an eraser to mark important information.


Below are examples of the NWEA MAP questions. These samples were taken from the NWEA MAP practice test that students are able to access throughout the year to practice their skills before the actual tests.



Above is the home screen for the NWEA MAP practice test (NWEA Home, n.d.). Students are able to select accommodations that they would receive on the actual test here.



Above is a sample question from the NWEA MAP test (NWEA Home, n.d.). Students are able to have a split screen that shows text as well as questions so they are able to refer back to the text for the answers.



Above is another kind of sample question where students read a short paragraph and answer a question about the paragraph while they have access to the text (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Above is another sample question from the NWEA MAP test (NWEA Home, n.d.). Students are able to have a split screen that shows text as well as questions so they are able to refer back to the text for the answers.




Summary of NWEA MAP Data (BOY-MOY Data)





What does the data tell us?



To begin assessing the data, I look at growth scores for the MOY data to view where students are in relation to their BOY test scores. Analyzing this data and explaining it to students is one way to get students invested in their progress and to promote continuous learning.


Below, the reading data summary is listed and one can see that, based on the NWEA MAP parameters, there are eight students performing in the "low" percentile, five students performing in the "low-average" percentile, three students performing in the "average" percentile, three students performing in the "high-average" percentile, and four students performing in the "high" percentile.


The goal score for the MOY testing session in reading is 203.6, and the mean score for my students in this class section is 196.3, 7.3 points below the "norm grade level mean."


Another way that the data can be summarized is by looking at skills tested, which is shown in the second graphic below. Students scored lowest in the areas of "Literary Text: Key Ideas and Details" and "Vocabulary: Acquisition and Use." The sections that students scored highest in include "Literary Text" Language, Craft, and Structure" and "Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details."



The graphic above shows the overall student percentage scores for the MOY data collected in Reading (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Above, the infographic shows the breakdown of each Goal Area strand for student performance during the MOY testing period (NWEA Home, n.d.).




Data Analysis





What can we understand through data analysis?



NWEA MAP gives teachers and all stakeholders multiple forms of viewing student growth over the course of the school year. NWEA MAP can provide access to scores from previous years to show growth over time, and provide data points for students individually or in a whole class setting. The graph and data charts below show two more of the formats that data can be viewed and interpreted in.


Before interpreting the data, it is important to note that students were assessed for BOY data in September 2019. Students were assessed for MOY growth in January 2020. Students started the year with one teacher, who left in late October, and did not have another ELA teacher until December 9th, 2019, when I began teaching. Despite this setback and unstable environment, high student growth was still present in the classroom. It is also important to note that the NWEA MAP test is taken at Bridges Public Chart School exclusively in English. There are many English Language Learners (ELL) in my classroom, and they were required to take the NWEA MAP in English, which could result in an inaccurate score in overall reading comprehension and vocabulary.


The graph below shows the four quadrants of achievement and growth for MOY tests in Reading and Language, which are the ELA tested subjects. The quadrants that students are grouped into are "Low Achievement, Low Growth," "Low Achievement, High Growth," "High Achievement, High Growth," and "High Achievement, Low Growth." From viewing this data, one can see that the majority of students fall between the two quadrants of "Low Achievement, Low Growth" and "High Achievement, High Growth." If we are only assessing Reading scores, there are fifteen students shared between the two quadrants. The two areas that are most important for this MOY data in terms of high growth are "Low Achievement, High Growth" and "High Achievement, High Growth." There are thirteen students in these two categories, showing that thirteen students showed high growth between the BOY and MOY testing. There are eight students that scored in the "Low Growth, Low Achievement" quadrant, and none in the "High Achievement, Low Growth" quadrant. Out of the twenty-one students tested, thirteen out of twenty-one students had significant growth in reading, or approximately 62% of the classroom.


The table below shows the achievement status and growth for students between BOY (fall) and MOY (winter) testing. Each student's BOY scores and MOY scores are presented in the chart, along with their percentile range for each score. The Growth section next to Achievement Status shows each student's "observed growth," as well as whether or not they met their projected growth from their BOY scores. There are twelve students shown who met their projected growth goal from their BOY scores (thirteen overall out of twenty-one students tested), showing that approximately 66% of students in my classroom met their projected growth goal from their BOY testing data.



Above is the quadrant graph that shows both Reading and Language scores and growth (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Above is the student achievement chart that shows growth and whether or not students met their growth goals set by NWEA (NWEA Home, n.d.).




Individual Student Examples of Growth





How does analyzing individual student growth help us understand student learning?



Below are three individual examples of students who all achieved significant growth between BOY and MOY testing, but have different achievement levels. The colors on the graphs show percentile bands, and the solid line shows the student's scores over time. The thick dotted line shows projected scores for EOY testing, and the thin dotted line shows average student achievement. For two of these students, test scores from third grade are visible to establish long-term growth timelines. By analyzing the data for each student, we are able to see and communicate with each student their performance and projected scores for EOY testing.

  • Student 1: This student shows significant growth and high academic achievement. The student performs between the top two percentile bands for both third and fourth grade, and is projected to have a score increase for EOY testing, even though this student is already scoring well above average for their grade. This student is a candidate for higher-level instruction in small groups and extension activities to ensure that they are being challenged during instruction.
  • Student 2: This student shows a "summer slide," where BOY test scores are lower than the EOY scores at the end of third grade. This student shows significant growth from the BOY score, jumping six points and approaching the "average" percentile band. This student would be an ideal candidate for reinforced whole group learning during small group time, as well as supportive activities during whole group learning.
  • Student 3: This student shows significant growth from their starting point. This student entered into Bridges at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, coming from a non-English speaking country. This student shows low achievement but high growth, jumping from a BOY score of 159 to an MOY score of 169. This student was projected to continue their growth during EOY testing. This student is a candidate for ELL services and small-group intervention services.


Student 1: Click on the image above to see the student growth chart for "high achievement, high growth" (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Student 2: Click on the image above to the student growth chart for "low-average achievement, high growth" (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Student 3: Click on the image above to see the student growth chart for "low achievement, high growth" (NWEA Home, n.d.).




More Examples of Student Growth





How does analyzing data in different formats help us to communicate achievement with students?



Below are three more students who showed significant academic growth between their BOY and MOY test scores. This format of student growth is generally used to inform parents of their student's success and growth over a period of time. Keeping students and their parents informed of student growth encourages students to become active participates in monitoring their success by holding students accountable for their actions. Providing various displays and methods of communication ensures that students and their parents understand the data that is provided.

  • Student 4: This student shows "high achievement" in the 90th percentile and "high growth" in the 96th percentile for reading from their BOY and MOY test scores. This student has shown consistent growth over time and their scores from third grade are provided in the graph to show the dramatic growth they have had since then. This student showed the most academic growth between BOY and MOY testing in the fourth grade. The student's BOY score could be compared to that of a mid-year fifth grader, and their MOY score compares their reading skills to that of an end of year eleventh grader.
  • Student 5: This student shows "low achievement" in the 22nd percentile and "high growth" in the 99th percentile for reading from their BOY and MOY test scores. This student's data shows that they most likely experienced a "summer slide," but that they were able to demonstrate extremely high growth between the fall and winter of fourth grade. While they are still considered "low achieving," their fourth grade BOY score could be compared to that of a mid-year first grader, and their MOY score now compares to that of a mid-year third grader. This student has demonstrated two years of growth between September 2019 and January 2020.
  • Student 6: This student shows "low achievement" in the 18th percentile and "high growth" in the 99th percentile for reading from their BOY and MOY test scores. This student's data also shows a "summer slide," but they were also able to demonstrate extremely high growth between the fall and winter of the 2019-2020 school year. While they are still considered to be "low achieving," their BOY score could be compared to that of a mid-year first grader, and their MOY score could be compared to that of a beginning of year third grader. This student has demonstrated 1.5 years of growth between September 2019 and January 2020.


Student 4: Click on the image above to see the percentile scores for a "high achievement, high growth" student (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Student 5: Click on the image above to see the percentile scores for a "low-average achievement, high growth" student (NWEA Home, n.d.).



Student 6: Click on the image about to see the percentile scores for a "low achievement, high growth" student (NWEA Home, n.d.).




Conclusion





How will this data be used moving forward?



Usually, the BOY and MOY data would be used to identify students who need additional support in the classroom, and by using their scores on goal topics, target those lowest scores and skills to promote growth. Overall, the goal of NWEA MAP is to see which students are likely to perform well on the PARCC test at the end of the school year.


This year, however, PARCC and other standardized tests similar to it have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Students are not in the classroom learning, and even though there are virtual environments for students to access, many students do not have access to computers or the Internet and are unable to access these learning platforms.


Since we will not gather EOY test scores or PARCC scores for the 2019-2020 school year, the BOY and MOY data will most likely be used as a starting point for when students begin the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers and administrators will need data with which to begin the upcoming school year, and these scores will most likely provide a dated but official starting point for teachers and students.




References





NWEA Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nwea.org/