MAP Info for Parents and Families
of NG 5th graders!
Dear Families of NG 5th Graders:
As most of you know, 4th quarter at means warm spring weather and end of the year fun.
In Missouri public schools, fourth quarter also includes MAP testing! The Missouri Assessment Program is an assessment that begins in third grade and that all kids attending public schools take yearly through eighth grade.
In fifth grade, kids are tested in English Language Arts (ELA), Science and Math and scored against our Missouri Learning Standards. State testing results serve as a measuring stick when comparing schools and districts to standards – and to each other.
We know the MAP tests will not measure everything our students have learned at NG, but we want them to be prepared to perform their very best. As far as content, we are confident that the kids are ready to test, and test well. The format of this test, however, is different than most assessments we use in Kirkwood and requires practice on our end. The test taking skills we will be teaching and reinforcing are those they will carry with them through their schooling as this is not the last time they will need to take a standardized test!
Please see below for ways you can support your student for their standardized tests.
DATES 5th GRADERS WILL TEST: May 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
We need kids at school all days of their testing window so we can support them in the most authentic setting ... their classroom, rather than taking the test with ME because they missed a session! Thanks for your help!
As promised...more MAP info!
Keep in mind that the info I share below shows the paper/pencil versions. All the kids will be doing their testing on their iPads so it will look different for them. They are getting practice on both the paper/pencil (for some good test taking strategies) and also on the online version.
Please keep checking in with your student about how their MAP prep is going! Also a reminder that we need kids at school all days of their testing window so we can support them in the most authentic setting ... their classroom, rather than taking the test with ME because they missed a session! Thanks for your help!
Enjoy and feel free to send questions to your classroom teacher or myself.
Jennifer Sisul
What the heck is on these tests and what does it look like?
The MAP tests have been purposefully designed to reflect the Missouri Learning Standards, a set of expectations for Missouri’s students in English Language Arts, Math and Science. Kirkwood’s curriculum, our expectations of kids and teachers, and the rubrics used to understand our report cards are all aligned with the MLS. These standardized tests, while only one measure of student achievement, thus reflect the teaching and learning we do throughout the year and can be used to inform our teaching at the school level and curriculum design at the district level.
The MAP tests are loaded with multiple choice items – but they also include a variety of short answer questions, reading passages and answering multiple questions, referring to a model and answering multiple questions and for our 4th graders, a pretty intense writing “performance event.” Each math section also includes a complex math performance event that requires them to apply multiple skills and understandings while answering a several step question.
Keep in mind that the info I share below shows the paper/pencil versions. All the kids will be doing their testing on their iPads so it will look different for them. They are getting practice on both the paper/pencil (for some good test taking strategies) and also on the online version.
Multiple choice questions can range from....
3rd grade multiple choice example
4th grade multiple choice example
5th grade multiple choice example
....to kids being given data, asked to use these data to make a graph, and then asked to draw conclusions from the data in a multiple choice format.
There will be similar spans of multiple choice questions on the ELA portion, most posed after reading a grade level text or comparing and contrasting two different reading excerpts. Our kids will need to answer a variety of questions to check their comprehension:
3rd Grade ELA Example
4th Grade ELA Example
5th grade ELA Example
What can kids expect?
The state helps us out by telling us the breakdown of what will be on each test and also providing released items from past tests for us to use with the kids for some practice.
If you’d like to know more about the “blueprints,” see the thumbnails below or click here for all of the Missouri MAP Grade-Level Blueprints .
3rd Grade ELA Breakdown
4th Grade ELA Breakdown
5th Grade ELA Breakdown
3rd Grade Math Breakdown
4th Grade Math Breakdown
5th Grade Math Breakdown
How can parents help?
We are asking for your help as well in establishing a positive mindset to help them do their very best. I don't believe in setting up artificial environments for the kids ~ we will work to keep their school day schedule the same and remind them that they have taken tests with us before! We will prep them with the unique tools they need to use in the testing app so they feel well prepared.
To be honest, the MAP tests are low stakes assessments for your children. Kids won’t be retained if they are Basic on the test, and they won’t get a 4 if they score at the Advanced level. The tests are incredibly high stakes, however, for our school, our district, and our community. Right or wrong, we are measured by how well our students’ perform on standardized tests. Our scores impact funding, morale, and even property values in our community.
At any time, please feel free to reach out to myself of of course your classroom teacher!
Thanks for your support as we work to set all of our 5th graders up for success in their MAP testing!
Jennifer Sisul
Principal