Conroe ISD trustees unanimously adopt NWEA MAP testing for 2025–26

The Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress and Growth (MAP) for the 2025–26 school year during a regularly scheduled board meeting. The motion to adopt was made from the board floor and approved by uplifted hands; the transcript records the vote as unanimous though individual tallies were not specified.

District staff said MAP is a diagnostic, adaptive interim assessment intended to show whether students are on pace to meet end-of-year standards and to give teachers more precise information to personalize instruction. "In the case of MAP, they are diagnostic and adaptive in nature," said Wendy Tisdale, coordinator of assessment and instructional materials, as staff described the three assessment types the district uses.

District presenters told trustees MAP will replace some interim and benchmark assessments across grade levels and content areas. Staff said the test predicts state STAR performance and can inform small-group instruction and school- and district-level improvement planning.

Trustees and staff discussed operational impacts emphasized by campus pilots: elementary reading MAP administration was estimated to free roughly 21 instructional days and elementary math roughly 14–15 days over the school year compared with prior interim testing practices, figures staff presented as estimates derived from pilot timings and small-group planning.

The board’s approval was linked in board discussion to an effort to expand the district’s Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) eligibility. "We will add an additional up to 630 eligible TIA teachers for next school year," said Terrell Jackson, teacher incentive allotment coordinator, describing how MAP data and a planned expansion would increase eligible assignments in the TIA program.

Trustees asked about teacher and campus feedback from pilots and surveys; staff said survey responses showed mixed reactions but that a central takeaway was the need to better communicate the purpose of each assessment so campuses and teachers understand how results drive instruction. "If people understand the purpose, then a lot of times they can get on board," a trustee said during questions.

The action recorded in the meeting transcript is limited to the adoption of MAP for 2025–26. Implementation details—such as training timelines, campus-level schedules, and the precise list of interim assessments MAP will replace—were discussed as staff responsibilities but implementation steps and dates were not finalized in the meeting.