Assessment

The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade-Level Assessments evaluate students’ progress toward the Missouri Learning Standards. Grade-Level Assessments provide important information that contributes to decisions concerning individual students, groups of students, and educational programs. Assessments are given in the subject areas of Communication Arts (grades 3-8), Mathematics (grades 3-8) and Science (grades 5 and 8).

A policy statement, adopted by the Missouri State Board of Education, designated the purposes of the Missouri Assessment Program as:
 Improving students’ acquisition of important knowledge, skills and competencies;
 Monitoring the performance of Missouri’s education system;
 Empowering students and their families to improve their educational prospects; and
 Supporting the teaching and learning process.

Your child’s Individual Student Report (ISR), includes an Achievement Level, which will describe his or her performance as Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced. The report will also include a short description of the knowledge and skills that are typically demonstrated by students in each Achievement Level. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) publishes a Guide to Interpreting Results (GIR) that provides additional details about the content of the Individual Student Reports. The GIR is available on the DESE website.