M.A.P. testing, short for “Measurement for Academic Progress,” has been around for over 2 decades now. According to The Horizon Sun, NWEA invented this tool for schools to not only help teachers reflect on how and what they need to teach, but also gather data on how students learn best and what they struggle with.
Although this way of tracking progress is helpful to teachers, students like Eva Lisk question its accuracy and students’ motivation for doing said test.
“I was having a really bad headache; therefore, I was unable to perform as well,” said Lisk.
There are many situations where it could potentially affect the scores of students. In fact, according to The Standard, it mentions that the test is not an accurate reflection of students’ intelligence, but rather a measure of growth.
One of the most important concepts about learning and being educated is finding what everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are, but how can standardized tests such as M.A.P. tests find these concepts when students are less likely to try.
Wyatt Gettamanemi, a 9th grade student at Las Vegas Academy said, “It’s a little bit long, but I just do it.
Built By Me says, “Students are a lot less likely to perform at 100% of their capacity and miss integral aspects of a subject. If that happens over a long period of time, students can form significant gaps in knowledge which can prevent them from optimally performing in respective subjects in the future.”
The Clark County School District (CCSD) has a rule about students achieving a certain score in order to be in advanced classes. Opinions are mixed when it comes to certain difficulties and motivation.
Stacy Miller, a teacher at Las Vegas Academy, said, “Aptitude and Attitude have nothing to do with each other.” Miller explained how, although students may receive a high score, if their motivation does not match the score, then it is likely that they might struggle with the course.
On the other hand, Lisk says, “Although the tests may not be accurate, I think that rule should still be enforced.”
Some believe that these types of standardized tests can help students choose which classes they should take.
Standardized tests are a necessity when it comes to monitoring progress. Take ACTs or SATs for example, lots of colleges use these tests in order to determine how prepared students are for college and to “predict future academic success” said by Education Planner. In 2020, most colleges began to look more at student’s grade point averages (GPA) due to the unfortunate situation known as COVID 19, but as it is now 2024, colleges are beginning to go back to the method of focusing on student’s scores rather than their GPAs.
