International Schools Choose Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) to Measure Academic Growth
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) February 06, 2014 -- In the global marketplace of international K-12 education, college and career readiness requires a commitment to academic rigor for every student. NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) is a key tool used by international schools as a trusted indicator of student achievement and growth. Increasingly, MAP is selected to measure the academic rigor of international schools. More than 532 schools in 140 countries, including the vast majority of the Office of Overseas Schools through the U.S. Department of State (160 of 198), have adopted the MAP assessment.
MAP is an interim test that informs teachers about student learning by pinpointing where students are ready to advance and where they need help. MAP is also computer adaptive, meaning that it dynamically adapts to each student's level of learning, regardless of grade level, and provides immediate data to make instructional adjustments as students are ready to learn.
MAP data is used by international schools for a variety of purposes, including validation of student achievement, meeting accreditation requirements and ensuring students can reenter K12 schools and gain admission to college if and when they return to the US.
Head of School Edwin Ladd of the American School in Japan sees MAP and the resulting student growth data as a “tool to inform instruction” that’s different from standardized tests. Ladd, who has been an international educator for thirty years and worked in schools from Doha to Tel Aviv to Taipei, finds MAP particularly useful for helping teachers understand a student’s individual strengths and areas of need. “One size fits all is the death of learning,” he notes. “Teachers need to understand where kids are in their learning in order to address their needs and MAP allows teachers to teach to strengths and build upon weaknesses.” Ladd adds that MAP data supports differentiated learning, allowing teachers to improve their practice and be “self-reflective.”
Supporting each student’s individual growth and achievement has only become more pressing as international schools work to further align curricula with more challenging standards. NWEA offers versions of MAP that are fully aligned to both American Education Reaches Out (AERO) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS), allowing educators to accurately gauge their students’ learning levels and monitor student growth term-to-term and year-to-year. Nearly two hundred international schools are now using Common Core MAP to assess student progress.
NWEA works with regional international school membership organizations to provide professional development opportunities. Many also attend NWEA’s annual Fusion conference held in Portland June 25-27, 2014. Last year, 63 participants attended, representing 30 schools in countries including Saudi Arabia, Congo, Taiwan, Singapore, Egypt, India, China and Guatemala.
“Our partnerships with international schools are extremely important to NWEA,” said Matt Chapman, President and CEO of NWEA. “Working with the Office of Overseas Schools and other international schools has a direct impact on our mission of partnering to help all kids learn. We are proud to support high-quality teaching around the globe with our assessment and professional development services.”
About Northwest Evaluation Association
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is a global not-for-profit educational services organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. NWEA partners with educational organizations worldwide to provide computer-based assessment suites, professional development and research services. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) adaptive assessments from NWEA leverage more than 30 years of research into student growth that informs decision-making at every level, from classrooms to boardrooms. The NWEA research center, The Kingsbury Center, uses the Growth Research Database (GRD™) to drive original research with universities, foundations and policymakers. Learn more at NWEA.org.
Katherine Ward, Northwest Evaluation Association, http://www.nwea.org, +1 (202) 285-3277, [email protected]
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