Assessments

Beginning Monday, May 6, students in the 7th and 8th grades will be participating in the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade-Level Assessments. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with general information about the assessments and to inform you of the district's testing schedule (detailed at the end of this letter). Please make every attempt to ensure that your child is present during anticipated testing times/dates and that he/she is prepared for testing. 

General Information about the Missouri Assessment Program Grade-Level Assessments

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.

The effectiveness of an assessment program depends on the wise choice of assessment methods, appropriate administration procedures and accurate interpretation of results.

The Grade-Level Assessments include multiple types of questions or items:

 ·  Selected Response (also known as multiple choice) items are composed of a question followed by a series of possible responses. Students must select the correct response or responses.

·   Constructed Response or Short Text items require students to supply an appropriate response rather than making a selection from a list of choices.

·   Performance Tasks/Events allow students to work through more complicated items using real-world scenarios.

·   Technology Enhanced items make use of technology in the presentation of the item, the ways in which students respond, or both. For example, students might listen to a story and then drag and drop labels into a diagram, or click on specific parts of a text to provide a response.

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 at: http://dese.mo.gov/college-career- readiness/assessment/grade-level

Spring 2019 Grade Level Assessment Schedule for Ash Grove Junior High 

 Monday, May 6:      7th Grade English Language Arts 

                                        8th Grade Mathematics 

Tuesday, May 7:       8th Grade English Language Arts Session 1

Wednesday, May 8: 7th Grade Mathematics 

                        8th Grade English Language Arts Sessions 2-4

 Thursday, May 9:    8th Grade Science

 Friday, May 10 – Tuesday, May 14:  Makeup Testing

At Ash Grove Junior High, we want all students to be successful and feel pride in their endeavors as well as their personal accomplishments.  Please encourage your student to do their best, as well as, get plenty of sleep and eat a nutritious and healthy breakfast the day of their test.

If you have any questions about testing, please contact Austin Houp at 417-751-9636 [email protected] or Heather Wray at 417-751-9605 [email protected]