Map Growth Testing | Our Experience

Homeschool Boss Map Growth Testing: homeschoolboss.com/

[@ashleym9305]

I haven’t watched the whole video, but need to comment. As a former licensed teacher, you do have to do test prep because in middle school I taught 41 kids in my highest middle school years per class-so over 160 kids and some of my coworkers had higher. Our evaluations and depending on district, even our pay was often tied to testing. If you have a clicker happy kid, etc. low scores can cost you your job. While you don’t want to teach to the test, sometimes you are forced to mimic it by your adminstration or admin. We also had kids have nervous breakdowns, anxiety, vomit, so preparing them ahead of time can help eliminate those examples.

[@michellegf]

I appreciate you sharing your experience. I understand the use of test prep in a public school environment. I think it’s unfortunate that state funding is sometimes dependent on the results and I can understand the need to test prep students. In an homeschooling environment those aren’t necessarily concerns. I fully believe in mentally preparing for the test, especially for kids with anxiety. That’s one of the reasons I discussed it with my kids and had them take the practice test provided by MAP. It also help familiarize them with the format of the test. I was more commenting on the use of specialized workbooks or worksheets aimed at solely increasing a child’s score instead of really looking at what information was retained.

[@ashleym9305]

@@michellegf I understand that part and I'm sorry if my next comment comes across as rude, this is not my intention, just wanting to respectfully share my viewpoint and I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective as well. I think it can be valuable for parents to buy specialized workbooks or worksheets to help their child prepare for testing. Why? I've stood in front of rooms of students before any test I've given and I always said that a test is only a snapshot in time and does not denote your true intelligence. Paper and pencil or a computer cannot know your personality and your own worth and sometimes not everyone is a good test taker. That being said, some parents may want to work on question stems or strategies prior to testing such as double checking your work, highlighting question stems, numbering your paragraphs, and other things that they may not have thought of on their own, but that a workbook can assist with. I don't think they are necessarily looking to raise their scores, but they may honestly not know how to provide a complete spiral review or what big concepts, ideas, or strategies to use in preparation for math and language arts testing. Tests in general can trip up even the most intelligent individuals if they are not familiar with the way questions are asked, formatting, etc. and while they may not have "taught to the test" the whole year, I think these are good review materials to use and I would encourage parents to use them if they feel the need to even in a homeschool setting.

[@michellegf]

@@ashleym9305 thank you for taking the time to further elaborate. I think you make a really good point and I appreciate the opportunity to see it from a different perspective.

[@ChelseyKuenzi]

Yes! I don’t understand why so many homeschoolers are against testing at all. We have done it every year since kindergarten to see if there are any gaps to fill. Also I have a 6 almost 7 year old girl with ADHD and every time you talk about your younger daughter I just think they sound so much alike and would be great buddies.

[@michellegf]

I am not sure why so many homeschoolers would be against it. I think it’s a great tool to utilize in homeschooling. It’s nice to know there are other kids like my daughter out there 😄 Thanks for sharing!

[@katherinemichelle8815]

Thank you so much for this video! It has been tremendously informative.

[@michellegf]

I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@WednesdayMorgendorffer]

Thank you for sharing. I've been debating if I want my oldest to do MAP testing. This helped me make my decision!

[@michellegf]

I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@jenniferreich3960]

We have been using the MAP Growth test for several years, and I had no idea you could click on those learning statements and get worksheets!🤦‍♀️ Off to look into that now. Thank you!

[@michellegf]

I just randomly clicked on one of them! That’s how I found out they link to practice worksheets and games 😆

[@megancunningham9471]

Thank you for this review! I'm so glad to see other homeschoolers doing standardized testing and speaking about their experiences with it. We do MAP (Reading/Math/Language Usage/Science) and the Woodcock Johnson Academic Achievement test every year. Both tests are very valuable for assessing students' grade equivalent /level, and for identifying any gaps in what is being covered in the homeschool curriculum. WJ measures social studies and geography as well, which is something MAP doesn't cover, but it's a pricier test because it's done by a licensed WJ practitioner in person or over Zoom. I'm sure your kids did awesome! :) Thank you so much for being so open and sharing your experiences! :)