Post-COVID norm shifts and NWEA's enhanced item selection algorithm change the interpretation of MAP Growth metrics for school accountability¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q1
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: tool and model accuracy changes quickly

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Per the page's description of a related white paper, shifts in post-COVID achievement and growth patterns and the introduction of NWEA's enhanced item selection algorithm (EISA) call for careful review of commonly used norm-referenced metrics in school accountability contexts. → Megan Kuhfeld 2022

Evidence¶

Megan Kuhfeld 2022¶

Megan Kuhfeld, Meredith Langi, Karyn Lewis. (2022). Technical appendix for: The widening achievement divide during COVID-19. NWEA Research. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/technical-appendix-for-the-widening-achievement-divide-during-covid-19/

q1 · i? · associational · r?

This is the page's description of the white paper 'How Post‑COVID Norm Shifts Change the Meaning of MAP Growth Metrics for School Accountability.' The page reports the paper's stated aim ('We show how shifts...') but none of its analyses or results.

"We show how shifts in post COVID achievement and growth patterns and the introduction of NWEA’s enhanced item selection algorithm (EISA), call for careful review of commonly used metrics."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Updated 2025 MAP Growth screening thresholds are set at the 35th percentile with adjustments for the Enhanced Item-Selection Algorithm — related
• Norm shifts can raise achievement percentiles for schools serving struggling students even when RIT gains and projected proficiency do not improve — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Norm shifts can change teacher evaluation CGP outcomes independently of instructional quality — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Under the 2025 MAP Growth norms, the same reading RIT score can rank higher in achievement percentile due to national declines in achievement — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Under the 2025 norms, higher math growth expectations lower conditional growth percentiles for higher-growth students — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Static percentile screening cut points carried across norm sets can under-identify students who remain below grade level — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The dashboard reports median achievement percentiles normed to a nationally representative pre-COVID sample and projected proficiency against state cut scores — related
• The Content Proximity spring 2022 pilot study examined validity, reliability, and test score comparability of MAP Growth assessments using the new item-selection algorithm — related
• The adaptive algorithm's item selection produces a significantly lower SEM than fixed-form tests — related
• The 2025 MAP Growth Norms are based on national test samples from 2022–23 and 2023–24, and dashboard results are not comparable to reports using 2020 norms — related
• The enhanced item-selection algorithm (EISA) causes shifts in math scores that were fully accounted for in the 2025 norms and the dashboard — related
• Districts face validity, reliability, comparability, and accountability-tension challenges in assessing future-ready skills — related
• The 2020 norms report states the MAP Growth scale remains stable while status patterns shifted relative to the 2015 norms — related