Arkansas Approves K-2 Assessment Solution from NWEA for State’s Schools and Districts

Portland, Ore., July 24, 2017 -- The Arkansas Department of Education has selected NWEA, the not-for-profit assessment solutions provider, as a Qualified Vendor for the state’s K-2 assessment program. Starting this fall, school districts can use the NWEA Arkansas K-2 Assessment Solution, modeled on the trusted MAP Growth assessment, to screen young students and measure their academic performance and growth in the early grades.

NWEA has a long-standing partnership with many schools and districts in Arkansas, providing teachers with timely, valid, and reliable MAP Growth assessment data to benchmark growth and inform instruction, including enrichment and remediation. Today, one in five students in Arkansas already use and benefit from MAP Growth assessments.

“Educators in our district find the MAP Growth assessment to be an incredibly useful tool for measuring student growth,” said Melody Morgan, director of accountability and assessment at Springdale Public Schools in Springdale, Ark. “High-quality measures of early learning are not necessarily easy to find, so we’re excited to start using NWEA’s K-2 Assessment Solution to help us ensure our K-2 students are on track for success.”

Research shows that reading on grade level by the end of third grade is a strong indicator of long-term academic achievement and that a student will eventually graduate from high school. Because the NWEA Arkansas K-2 Assessment Solution is tightly aligned with the Arkansas Academic Standards for Grades K-2 English Language Arts and Mathematics, it can help teachers determine if students are on track for the third grade, as well as predict how they may perform on state tests.

To support young students and help them build strong skills early, educators need practical and relevant data that serves as an accurate gauge of student performance and growth over time. The NWEA Arkansas K-2 Assessment Solution brings early learners closer to independent reading and supports goal setting and differentiated instruction. The reports provide clear learning statements of what students know and are able to do, what they’re ready to learn next, and target growth goals. This data can be used with several of the most commonly used curriculum providers, giving Arkansas educators the flexibility to personalize instruction for students performing at every level, from those in need of remediation to high performers requiring additional enrichment.

Matt Chapman, CEO of NWEA said, “We look forward to partnering with more schools and districts throughout Arkansas, and to working with teachers to help them best use their assessment data to make informed instructional decisions to support the learning and growth of their young students.”

About NWEA

NWEA^™ is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative Pre-K–12 assessments, professional learning that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning, and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators in 140 countries and more than half the schools in the US rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP^® Growth^™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP^® Skills^™; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

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Shaina Cook
Collaborative Communications
202-266-4706
[email protected]