Academic Excellence

GRACE offers high-caliber academics in a supportive and challenging environment. Our individualized education provides the ideal environment for achievement of significant academic progress.

GRACE students achieve academic excellence as demonstrated in their daily learning experiences and measured through standardized testing.

Many area schools, including GRACE, use the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to test students’ academic abilities. MAP is a national assessment tool that makes predictions about students’ college readiness as measured by EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT.

MAP tests present students with engaging, age-appropriate content. As a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty. As a result of NWEA tests, educators can make informed decisions to promote your child’s academic growth.

MAP scores show that GRACE students perform above the national average in math, reading, language usage and science:

• GRACE students are well prepared for high school, performing at the average of the 90th percentile in all subject areas tested.
• GRACE students strive to reach their full potential by achieving growth targets more often than 80% of the students across the nation by eighth grade.
• GRACE students grow at a faster rate than national norms by the time they reach eighth grade.

MAP testing occurs three times each year (fall, winter and spring). The fall results help determine strengths and weaknesses and curricular areas in need of focus. Winter testing provides a “checkpoint” for the students tested to determine if any mid-term adjustments are required. Spring testing provides a measure of student progress over the course of the year.

• Kindergarten and first-grade students take a reading and math computer-based test with audio. Estimated total test time: 90 minutes.
• Second- and third-grade students take a reading, math and language arts computer-based test. Estimated total test time: 180 minutes.
• Fourth- through eighth-grade students take a reading, math, language arts and science computer-based test. Estimated total test time: 240 minutes.

Each semester, GRACE families receive their student’s individual NWEA MAP Student Progress Report accompanied by an explanatory summary letter.

Since MAP assessments are designed to measure individual student’s academic performance, each test is unique and the questions are based on the student responses and current achievement level. The computer adjusts the difficulty level of the questions as the test progresses. Because each test is unique, teachers are better able to assess student progress over the course of the year and determine where students may need additional instruction.