District presents winter NWEA MAP results showing gains in elementary literacy and growth

At its Feb. 3 meeting, the Teaching and Learning Committee of the Germantown School District heard a winter assessment briefing from district staff and data presenter Jake Mizziak on NWEA MAP results for elementary and middle schools.

Mizziak described MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) as a computer‑adaptive assessment administered in the fall, winter and spring at elementary and middle grades. He summarized district‑level “quadrant” reports — scatterplots teachers can view that combine growth and achievement measures — and explained teachers can use the tool to view student names and break down skill areas.

The district’s three‑year snapshot showed gains in elementary literacy and growth, Mizziak said. On the MAP growth metric the presentation reported an increase in the share of students classified as 'high growth' from roughly 46% in 2023–24 to about 53% in 2025–26; reported high‑achievement rates for literacy rose from about 66% to 77% over the same period. Mizziak cautioned that samples are not identical year to year (grades cycle off) and that kindergarten results are shown only for winter and spring because kindergarteners are not tested immediately at school entry. “We give it to them three times a year in the fall, in the winter, and in the spring,” Mizziak said. “It gives us some information about how we might make some adjustments to what's going on in the classroom to better meet their needs.”

On math, Mizziak pointed to improvement in the top‑right quadrant (high growth and high achievement) and a notable decline in the lower‑right quadrant (students with high achievement but lower growth), noting curricular changes and increased classroom rigor as district responses. He attributed some middle‑school literacy gains to adoption of StudySync and said middle‑school math results reflect work with Open Up and professional development provided through CESA 6.

Mizziak also highlighted a recurring dip in second‑grade growth that he said stems in part from a MAP test‑version transition (from the K–2 form to the 2–5 form) the district applies in second grade; he said the timing of that switch affects comparability and that the district typically looks for changes again in spring data. When asked whether the quadrant charts supply a single percentage of students reading at grade level, Mizziak responded that MAP ties tasks to grade‑level complexity but does not produce a simple single–percent 'at grade level' number that he could provide on the spot.

The committee treated the presentation as informational; no committee action on the assessment report was recorded in the meeting segment.