NWEA and DC Charter Association Launch New Assessment Partnership
Portland, OR (PRWEB) April 30, 2015 -- Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) today announced a new partnership with the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools (DCACPS) to further support student learning in the District of Columbia. The partnership will make the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) assessment available to charter schools at a discount and provide access to high-quality assessment professional development.
“To accelerate and maximize student achievement, it is imperative that we continually improve instruction,” said Ramona Hoage Edelin, Executive Director of the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools. “Data from MAP assessments give educators and schools a clearer snapshot of student learning and will help them better tailor instruction and deliver learning supports that ultimately improve student outcomes.”
For the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools, the new partnership brings with it access to over 140 reports, technical assistance, access to the SPARK Community, an online users group, and a host of online professional development resources through Destination PD. NWEA leadership will additionally become part of the Association’s support community and participate in local education roundtables and data dialogues.
“With almost half of students in DC attending a public school of choice, we are proud to partner with DCACPS to provide valuable and affordable tools that can help inform decision making at the classroom and school level,” said Matt Chapman, president and CEO of NWEA.
MAP assessments provide critical information to help schools monitor and improve student learning. Data specifically helps educators answer important questions on three levels:
– At the student level: Are students successfully mastering course content and gaining the skills necessary for future success? What mid-course corrections to instruction are needed? What additional supports and interventions will be effective for students?
– At the school level: How can schools maintain transparency and accountability with parents and the public? How are schools advancing academic success school-wide and with subgroups?
– At the charter movement level: How can charter schools successfully demonstrate impact and their ability to innovatively advance student growth?
NWEA assessment and professional learning resources are available to schools immediately.
About Northwest Evaluation Association
Founded by educators nearly 40 years ago, Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is a global not-for-profit educational services organization known for our flagship interim assessment, Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®). More than 7,600 partners in U.S. schools, school districts, education agencies, and international schools trust us to offer pre- kindergarten through grade 12 assessments that accurately measure student growth and learning needs, professional development that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning, and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. To better inform instruction and maximize every learner’s academic growth, educators currently use NWEA assessments with nearly eight million students.
About the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools
Launched in May of 2004 by School Founders and Leaders as a nonprofit organization operating under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, the mission of the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools is to improve opportunities and outcomes for students by supporting the development, growth, and sustainability of quality chartered public schools in Washington, DC. The Association serves all chartered public schools in the District of Columbia. In the 2013-2014 School Year, an estimated 38,000 students are enrolled in DC’s chartered public schools – that is approximately 44% of the total public school enrollment. We are the collective voice of DC’s Chartered Public School Leaders.
The vision of the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools is that the chartered public schools in the District of Columbia, catalyzed and supported by their Association in strategic partnership with others, will become the quality research and learning center that is needed in the nation, to begin to answer critically important unanswered questions about the quality; demand, accessibility, and retention; governance; sustainability; and community development benefits of chartered public schools.
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Nora Langan, Collaborative Communications, https://www.nwea.org/, +1 202-266-4712, [email protected]
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