Michigan Approves K-3 Assessment Solutions from NWEA for State's Schools and Districts

Portland, Ore., Sept. 18, 2017 -- The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has approved the MAP Growth System and Skills Checklists from the not-for-profit NWEA as initial and extensive assessments to support the state’s Early Literacy Initiative. Starting this fall, districts can use NWEA’s assessment solutions to screen young students and measure their academic performance and growth in the early grades. Because the MAP Growth System is tightly aligned with Michigan’s K-3 English Language Arts standards, 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.

NWEA is a longtime partner of many schools and districts in Michigan. The assessment provides educators with timely, valid, and reliable data to inform instruction and benchmark student academic growth. Because it is computer-adaptive, MAP Growth dynamically adjusts to each student’s performance, creating a personalized assessment experience that identifies what a student knows and is able to do, and what he or she is ready to learn next.

MAP Growth results are practical and relevant, and serve as an accurate gauge of student academic performance and growth over time. Educators can use the results to differentiate instruction for students in need of remediation and high performers requiring additional enrichment. NWEA has forged partnerships with the largest array of commonly used curriculum providers, giving Michigan educators the greatest flexibility to personalize instruction for students performing at every level.

 “NWEA is the absolute backbone to our success,” says Joe Powers, Superintendent of the Crawford AuSable School District in Grayling, Michigan. “MAP Growth is the tool that allows us to say, ‘Every kid has to have growth.’ In our district, it’s not about bringing every kid up to a minimum level. It’s about taking each kid to his or her highest levels.”

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. Michigan’s Early Literacy Initiative was created to directly address this issue, and MDE convened a group of stakeholders to determine assessments that could specifically support the implementation of the effort.

“We’re proud to be selected as a provider of high-quality early literacy assessments in Michigan, as well as in a number of other states, including Arkansas, Arizona, and Nevada,” said Matt Chapman, CEO of NWEA. “We look forward to working with more Michigan teachers to help them best use assessment data to support the learning, growth, and literacy skills development 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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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e3793eb-f577-4dde-ba1c-59f45173fd1a

Jessica Schwartz Hahn
NWEA
571-970-6440
[email protected]