Online MAP Growth Testing
Dear Upper School Parents,
 
Beginning August 24th through September 4th, scholars in 6th through 9th grade will take the MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA®. Please watch this short message to learn more about the MAP® Growth™ test, why we use this assessment, and how we feel this assessment helps us better serve our scholars. While these tests are usually taken on campus, the MAP Growth test is accessible through the regular internet browser on your scholar’s distance learning computer. To minimize stress on the day of testing, and support our families and scholars, we ask that you check your student’s computer and web-browser configurations before the day of the test.
 
To ensure your student’s computer is ready for testing:
 
Below you will find information about our campus schedule, instructions for test day, and a list of frequently asked questions.
 
Sincerely,
 
Steven Mapes
Great Hearts, Upper School
Campus Testing Coordinator
MAPS Growth Test Schedule:
 
Monday 8/24 | Reading Test for all 6th grade and 9th grade sections
Tuesday 8/25 | Reading Test for all 7th grade sections
Wednesday 8/26 | Reading Test for all 8th grade sections
Thursday 8/27 | Math Test for 6A, 6C, 6D, 6E, 7A, 7C, and all 8th & 9th sections
Friday 8/28 | Math Test for 6B, 7B, 7D, 7E
8/31 – 9/4 | Makeup Test Sessions
 
***Check your teachers’ “Stream” on Google Classroom for the period that your student will be testing.
Instructions for Testing Day:

  • The test Session ID and passcode as well as the Zoom session link will be shared through the Google Classroom stream. This will be posted 10 minutes before testing begins.
  • Your scholar may have access to a dictionary/thesaurus and scratch paper and a pencil during the assessment. Please do not allow your scholar access to any other web sites.
  • Scholars may not ask for help with the content of test questions. Some questions are hard, some are easy. The purpose is to get to know your student.
Frequently Asked Questions:

What is MAP Growth?
MAP Growth is a formative, adaptive assessment that helps us understand our scholars’ academic strengths and plan instruction that will support their continued growth. This means that we use the assessment to get to know our students and understand their learning needs. MAP Growth tests are unique, because they adapt to your scholar’s responses becoming more challenging as students answer questions correctly, which allows us to determine the right next step for students of all academic levels.

Is the MAP Growth assessment a new test?
Students at Great Hearts Texas schools have taken MAP growth since the founding of Great Hearts Irving. Each school year, scholars in grades 2 through 9 take the tests in Math and Reading. This is not a new test, but it is the first time we have asked for parent support in preparing the technology and helping students log-in.
 
Is MAP a High-Stakes test?
NO. We give MAP Growth to support learning in the classroom, not to assess teacher performance. The test is not High-Stakes for students, and it in no way impacts their grades within the curriculum. We do believe that MAP Growth helps teachers to serve our scholars more effectively.

How Are the Results used?
Results from the MAP Growth assessment will provide a detailed picture of what your scholar knows and is ready to learn. This picture allows our faculty to readily identify a scholar’s strength and serves as an aid to find the next steps to help them grow.

Will I receive a copy of my Student’s MAP Scores?
We prefer to share how your student is learning and growing in class instead of sharing scores from a single assessment. Comments and insights in your student’s growth will be given as a team during parent teacher conferences.