NWEA® MAP® Growth™ for
Spanish Speakers
NWEA's most popular MAP Growth tests are now available in Spanish!
Overview
MAP Growth Spanish Math and Reading can be taken across the span of your school year just like the English version of MAP Growth. That means they can be taken in fall, winter, and spring. Spanish MAP Growth uses the same RIT measurement scale and provides the same meaningful report data.
What sets the Spanish MAP assessments apart from their English counterpart is the authentic Spanish test items that have been specifically developed for these tests. The test items (questions) that a Spanish-speaking student will interact with are developed to factor in the unique learning-to-read process for the Spanish language.
While the majority of the questions will be from the authentic Spanish test item pool, the remaining items will be trans-adaptive items from the English pool. These items are translated items from the English pool that have been adjusted for cultural and linguistic bias, relevance, and appropriateness.
All test items avoid words that are dialect-specific, ensuring that all Spanish speakers find the test accessible.
NWEA MAP Growth assessments for Spanish speakers are appropriate for students whose home language is Spanish and/or a student that receives instruction in Spanish.
Language skill development can be complicated. Understanding the differences in the ways that Spanish and English skills develop will significantly help you help your student succeed.
Spanish Fact Sheets
Please view the FACT SHEET for each subject for more information on each one.
Math
Designed for Kindergarten through 12th grade students whose home language is Spanish or whose primary instruction is in Spanish.
Reading
Designed for Kindergarten through 8th grade students whose home language is Spanish or whose primary instruction is in Spanish.
FAQs
Are the Spanish MAP Growth assessments nationally-normed?
Short answer: Yes and no. MAP Growth Spanish Reading is user-normed. MAP Growth Spanish Math is nationally-normed.
Long answer: MAP Growth Spanish Reading assessments compare students to user norms, rather than national norms, because a smaller pool of students has participated in the Spanish versions of the tests. They still use the same reliable data and measurements as the English versions of MAP Growth.
What is the difference between user norms and national norms?
The only difference between user norms and national norms is the size of the group whose data is used to create the norms.
Fewer students have participated in the Spanish assessments, therefore the norms are user based, rather than based on samples from a national scale.
Who should take the Spanish assessments?
Students should take the Spanish assessments if their home language is Spanish and/or if they are receiving instruction in Spanish.
Are the Spanish tests just translated English tests?
No. Most of the MAP Spanish content was developed specifically to address the unique learning-to-read process for Spanish.
The remaining content is trans-adapted – adjusting for cultural and linguistic bias, relevance, and appropriateness.
To ensure that all Spanish-speaking students benefit from the assessments, a non-regionalized variety of Spanish is used.