rmine whether the student had an off day during the test or whether there is actually a need to adjust the student’s instruction. Either way, teacher judgment is crucial in this process.
Ultimately we need to realize the importance of viewing student learning in a broader context. Though new data is useful in driving instruction and guiding discussions, utilizing additional points of data will provide a more complete picture of student performance. Consider again the student with a fall RIT score of 210 and a winter RIT score of 203. What if the student’s previous spring score was 196? Given this additional information, we would clearly see the student’s overall trend towards positive RIT growth over time.
CHANGING OUR DISCUSSIONS
We must remember that each assessment is only a snapshot of a single point in time. Negative growth does not necessarily mean a student is not learning, or that classroom instruction has not been effective, or that NWEA data is not reliable. Rather, negative growth allows for additional opportunities to change the way we discuss our students’ learning. Instead of ignoring these instances as anomalies or assigning blame for their results, we should recognize negative growth as an important element in the culture of data driven instruction. Simply put, for unexplained reasons student scores sometimes fall. How this affects instruction should be the focus of our conversations.
MOVING FORWARD: LIMITING NEGATIVE GROWTH
Negative growth is a reality of MAP assessment, but it can be limited. The following steps will create conditions for the best growth possible at your school:
- Proctors should circulate the room during testing, monitoring student progress and behavior, making students restart the test when they are not taking it seriously or rescheduling them to another day.
- Poor student behavior and discipline issues can result in poor performance on assessments. Have teachers make judgment calls on the day of testing. Rescheduling testing for these students is often a sound practice.
- Give consideration to all students who complete the test in less than 15 minutes and determine whether they should retest on another day.
- Create a positive data driven culture with your staff and students by celebrating the MAP assessments school-wide before, during, and after testing, including recognizing all students that demonstrate growth.
I have developed a set of guiding questions as a teacher resource to help you determine when to adjust instruction and offer some guidance on when it is necessary to retest a student. Download and see this resource under "Negative Growth Questionnaire and Guide" in the resource section of SPARK as well as in the link provided.