Achievement Testing

NWEA MAP

MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) is a standardized test that measures what students know and informs what they’re ready to learn next.

MAP dynamically adjusts to each student’s responses - which means every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. As a student answers correctly, questions get harder. If a student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. It provides teachers with accurate, actionable evidence to help inform instructional strategies regardless of how far students are above or below grade level.

MAP Growth tests are given in the Fall and Spring in the subjects of math, reading, and language usage. These tests yield a national percentile score as well as a growth scale score (RIT).

For more information about MAP testing, please refer to the NWEA Family Toolkit.

ARK

ARK is administered to students in grades two through eight and is a standardized Catholic religion assessment.

Iowa Assessments

Archdiocesan students are tested annually in grades one through eight using the Iowa Assessments (formerly known as ITBS). This national examination serves as a standard to assist Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Atlanta in assessing the delivery and mastery of the curriculum. Student performance on the Iowa Assessments is utilized by schools to inform annual goals, to guide professional development efforts, and as an indicator in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

CogAT Testing

The Cognitive Abilities Test is administered to students in grades two, five, and seven.  The CogAT is intended to estimate students’ learned reasoning and problem-solving abilities through a battery of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal test items.

Local Data

Following the guidance of the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), archdiocesan Catholic schools do not post standardized test scores. Standardized test scores, as used by archdiocesan schools, are administered to analyze individual student growth and inform instructional decisions and are not intended to be a measure of overall school quality. Archdiocese of Atlanta achievement testing information may be found on the Office of Catholic Schools website.