Northville Schools Start Online MAP Testing Next Week

"We test students from kindergarten through fifth grade in the fall, winter and spring," said Robert Behnke, assistant superintendent for Instructional Services at Northville schools. "Then, grades sixth, seventh and eighth in the fall and spring."

This is the fourth year that Northville students will take the MAP tests online, staring Sept. 19, to measure their proficiency in reading and math. There is also a science test; however, Behnke said the district does not take it. Some Northville schools might administer the language usage test, but it is not offered district-wide.

The hour-long tests are adaptive, meaning the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers the previous questions. Questions become more difficult as the student answers correctly and easier as the student answers incorrectly. According to the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), which administers the test, an optimal test is when a student answers an equal amount of questions right and wrong.

Since they are administered online, teachers can see the results immediately. Teachers can use the data for identifying students who need remediation but also those on accelerated paths, Behnke said. 

"It gives us a look at not only individual students, but also individual schools and a district as whole," he said.

Behnke said teachers will review the data and some schools, like Moraine Elementary, will use the information to create student goals for the school year. He said previous test results showed strong growth in the district; however, it is another point of data in addition to tests like the MEAP exams. 

"We don’t hang our hat on NWEA data as the only point," he said.