ECRWSS PRESORT STD U.S. Postage PAID Winnisquam Echo Postal Customer Winnisquam Echo THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008 SERVING TILTON, NORTHFIELD, BELMONT & SANBORNTON, N.H. FREE MAP testing: changing the way teachers teach BY MEGHAN SIEGLER
[email protected] elementary school, students don’t have to know how to head to the computer room read. They’re allowed to WINNISQUAM — For the for the MAPs. wear headphones that enable last time this year, Win- “They’re so able to work them to rehear a question; in nisquam Regional School on the computer,” Kim Con- second grade and up, they District students set aside stant, the computer assistant have to read it on their own. class time to take Measures at Union Sanborn, said. Plus, there are more pictures of Academic Progress tests, Constant sets up the com- and other visuals for the which track student puters for each student so younger children. progress throughout the they’re taking their own in- Along with MAP’s ability school year and are used by dividualized test. She also to track student learning, it teachers and administrators monitors the test-takers and also creates individualized to develop more individual- gives instructions through- tests based on each student’s ized curriculum. out the hour or so that each response. For example, if a MAP testing is an assess- test takes. student gets a question right, ment product offered by “Take your best guest – the next one will either be the Northwest Evaluation Asso- there may be something you same level of difficulty or ciation and, unlike the New don’t know, and that’s OK,” harder; if he or she gets a England Co\mmon Assess- Constant said to a first-grad- question wrong, the next ment Program, is not re- er who was preparing to take question will likely be easier.