MAPs—Measure of Academic Progress is a computerized adaptive test for Reading, Mathematics and Language Usage (http://www.nwea.org/assessments/map.asp).   Adaptive means that if a student gets the first five questions correct, the next five will be harder. And like wise, if the student gets the first five wrong, the next five will be easier. In short, each student is tested at and for their unique competency level. The students say it is engaging! After completing the assessment, a final score appears and students excitedly compare it to their previous score, hopefully for improvement.

This new evaluation informant is of great value for teachers to identify each student’s exact learning needs and to measure student growth in their field. The students take the MAPs learning assessment test in the fall, mid year, and before ending the school year. Now, teachers have an accurate measure of each student exact knowledge level and can adapt their lesson plans to teach what is needed! This turned out to be very challenging to some teacher and a welcome gift to others.

 

When I was a school board member, I was very excited to hear that they were implementing this program. Now that the first few years of tests are complete, I am even more thrilled. Students excited about testing, teachers getting direct feedback on students’ needs and progress, and making curriculum changes to address needs. This is the chocolate milk shake of education!

 

As a school board member, we are always working for educational improvement by tweaking the many facets that we are entrusted with, including funding the budget, hire and tenure, program approval, conferences, rewards and more.

This would be enough but the take home is even bigger. This testing not only impacts the student test taking and the teacher lesson plan development, but could be used to evaluate curriculum, teaching programs and teachers.

 

I think of my life a pool ball rolling across a table in a straight line. If I tweak the ball it will move in a new course. The earlier we tweak the ball of life, the more profound the impact.

 

Usually we make one change and it impacts one area. But sometime we change one thing and it impacts a constellation of areas. This MAPs testing is an example of one change with multiple improvements. With a single program, many areas of education improvement are impacted positively. We have excited students, teachers adjusting and teaching to students’ needs, measurement and feedback in real time. And there is more to come—program evaluation and teacher evaluation to name a few.

 

I now have a new paradigm for creating change. What I see here is that sometimes a single event, program, or change, will create multiple changes and not just a single change. It is as if that one pool ball is not on the table alone, it is hitting many other balls.

 

So here is the challenge. Look for the revolutionary or catalytic changes that might take time to implement, but will yield positive results in a constellation of key areas.