Ask ISL - MAP testing

What is the purpose of this test, as it is not based on the PYP curriculum but on the US Common Core curriculum (which I know from professional and personal experience is very different, subject to subject and year to year)? If it is simply for students to see how they have improved, why is it not shared automatically with parents who might also wonder about how their children have improved? I have heard that it has been used for assessing teachers. Is this true, and can you elaborate why?  I have seen no accommodations or modifications permitted for children on learning support or ESOL.  Is this the case, and if so, is this not unfair and demoralizing to those childrens' learning and motivation?

Answer

From our counselor, Sekai Chitaukire: The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is an adaptive computer-based test which tracks a student’s academic progress over time. At ISL, students from Y3 to Y9 take the MAP Reading and MAP Math tests at the beginning of the academic year and again at the end of the year. Here at ISL, we use the MAP test as an internal assessment to help inform teaching and learning. Parents are privy to their child’s test results upon request.

Accommodations are provided for students in line with test administration guidelines. The decision to provide such accommodations is made with input from the student’s teacher and Learning Support and/or ESOL departments.

Mark Fox adds - We do not currently use this for teacher evaluation.