NWEA MAP Testing Expands to Georgia; Districts in 48 States Now Using MAP to Measure Student Growth

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 2006--Northwest Evaluation Association, a national non-profit organization focused on improving K-12 assessment, announces the addition of the first schools in Georgia that will be using its formative assessments, aligned to the state's curriculum standards. This new enrollment brings NWEA into its 48th state, serving more than 2,200 school districts testing some two million students.

The Georgia districts include Henry County Schools in McDonough with 36,000 students; Clarke County School District in Athens with an enrollment of 12,600 students; Arlington Christian School; Hapeville Middle School, a charter school in Fulton County, and Roosevelt Wilderness School in Warm Springs. Meriwether County Schools in Greenville and Thomaston-Upson County Schools are also NWEA members.

“The districts and schools of Georgia are making a commitment to support their students to reach their fullest academic potential”

The districts and schools will begin testing a portion of their students this fall using NWEA's formative assessment system, Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, that measures individual student growth over time and across grade levels. Because students take the test on a computer, it immediately adapts to each individual student's ability, getting easier or harder as students answer each question. The assessment results are available immediately and provide teachers with an accurate and clear picture of what a child knows and needs to know next.

"The districts and schools of Georgia are making a commitment to support their students to reach their fullest academic potential," says Allan Olson, NWEA CEO and president. "By understanding the nature and amount of growth each child needs, and then organizing their schools to meet those needs, they will make a significant and positive impact on each student's future."

NWEA member schools typically test in both the fall and the spring, with winter testing also available, to measure each student's academic growth accurately over the course of the school year. MAP is available to schools to test reading, math, language arts, and science in grades three through high school. A special MAP for Primary Grades also is available for K-2, and is uniquely designed to assess achievement levels of early learners in reading and mathematics.

Both Clarke and Henry County districts are considered innovative leaders in education, and have, for example, led the way in using computer adaptive testing in the state. Additionally, Henry County is an exceptionally fast growing district, and is expected to double in size by 2014. MAP testing in the summer will help the district evaluate newly enrolled students' instructional level and place them in the appropriate classroom.

"We see MAP as the first step in a comprehensive assessment system for our district," said Dr. Susan Clark, Assistant Superintendent for School Improvement of Henry County Schools. "MAP gives us the best information about where our students are in relation to the standards, to help us adjust the focus of teaching and learning to improve achievement for each child."

More than 90 percent of the school districts in neighboring South Carolina use NWEA's MAP to measure academic growth for individual students.

About Northwest Evaluation Association

Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping all children learn. NWEA provides formative assessment, research-based educational growth measures, and professional training to improve teaching and learning. Partnering with school districts, states and other education organizations, NWEA delivers computer-adapted assessment services to more than 2,000 education agencies and two million students nationwide. Additionally, its Growth Research Database, the most extensive collection of student growth data in the country, provides a rich opportunity for the study of academic achievement. More information is available at http://www.nwea.org.