Mean foundational-skills scores rise from fall to spring with the largest gains in kindergarten and grade 1, and growth flattens by grades 2-3¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-16 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2031: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Within grades, mean scores generally increased from fall to spring, with the largest gains in kindergarten and grade 1, and both within-grade and cross-grade growth became less pronounced in higher grades, particularly from grade 2 to grade 3. → Wei He 2026

Evidence¶

Wei He 2026¶

Wei He, NWEA Psychometrics and Analytics. (2026). Achievement and Growth Norms for Spanish MAP Reading Fluency Foundational Skills. NWEA. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/achievement-and-growth-norms-for-spanish-map-reading-fluency-foundational-skills-report/

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Descriptive statistics of test scores in the norming sample by school year, grade, and term (Table 3.1, Section 3.1). Means generally rose fall to spring with the largest gains in kindergarten and grade 1; the authors suggest older students had already developed stronger foundational skills or were approaching the upper end of the scale.

"Within grades, mean scores generally increased from fall to spring, with the largest gains observed in kindergarten and grade 1. Mean scores also tended to increase across grade levels. However, both within-grade and cross-grade growth became less pronounced in the higher grades, particularly from grade 2 to grade 3."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Decoding — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

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• EISA-based MAP Growth testing produced slightly lower fall Mathematics scores but higher winter and spring Mathematics scores than traditional MAP Growth, and equipercentile linking was used to align the two versions for norming — related
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