MAP Growth interim computer adaptive assessment system

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Evidence · 7 claims (5 for, 1 mixed, 1 against) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 associational), q2 · 1 of 2 report an effect size · 7 claims rest on one study

Description

NWEA's MAP Growth interim computer-adaptive assessment system delivers variable-length assessments several times a year and uses adaptive item selection and scoring to measure student achievement and growth.

Components

• Enhanced constraint-based engine (CBE) test models with guidelines and constraints for MAP Growth delivery: The constraint-based engine (CBE), originally built for state summative assessments, was enhanced under Project Altair to deliver variable-length MAP Growth interim assessments multiple times a year. On CBE, "blueprint functionality was extended by defining test models in which both guidelines and constraints are used to optimize the content balance requirements and the maximization of ability score precisions." Guidelines are "nice-to-haves," and constraints are "must-haves." Enhancements included momentary ability estimation, a revised item selection algorithm, and longitudinal item exposure as a guideline rather than a constraint. (Bo et al. (2020))

Claims

• The Altair (engine) main effect is not significant for winter RIT scores in either content area, but an Altair-by-sex interaction is significant in Reading only [+W]
• CBE shows better engine adaptivity than COLO, especially for extremely low or high achievement students [+W]
• Item exposure rates are comparable across engines, with most items below 10%, and the CBE Reading item-use rate is lower than COLO's [+W]
• Marginal reliabilities of MAP Growth winter scores are comparable across engines and all in the 0.90s, with CBE showing slightly higher precision (lower SEM) [+W]
• Test lengths are comparable across engines, but CBE test durations are higher than COLO's in both terms and content areas, more prominently in Reading [~W]
• Growth-score differences between CBE and COLO are small, exceeding 0.2 only in Reading Grades K–1 (favoring CBE) and Mathematics Grade 8 (favoring COLO) [+W]
• Schools' K-3 growth estimates are likely less valid than grade 3-4 growth estimates but have similar precision [-W]

Related Products and Programmes

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Key Sources

• Bo, E., & Meyer, P. (2020). Comparability of MAP Growth tests administered through different technology and psychometric infrastructure: An engine evaluation study based on empirical data. Portland, OR: NWEA. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/comparability-of-map-growth-tests-administered-through-different-technology-and-psychometric-infrastructure-an-engine-evaluation-study-based-on-empirical-data/

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	map-growth-interim-computer-adaptive-assessment-system
title	MAP Growth interim computer adaptive assessment system
description	NWEA's MAP Growth interim computer-adaptive assessment system delivers variable-length assessments several times a year and uses adaptive item selection and scoring to measure student achievement and growth.
status	review
moved_from	element/cbe-test-models-guidelines-constraints
product_kind	assessment
generated	by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — bo-2020

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