Three Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) leaders attended the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) conference in Atlanta on June 27-29. Brianna Kaufman, BCP Director of Operations, Govans Elementary School Principal Bernarda Kwaw and Maura Farrall, BCP’s Lead Academic Coach, spent three days learning about the NWEA assessment and support services.  

The NWEA conference’s theme of Fusion focused on how to better use the MAP growth assessment, the NWEA-created assessment used by all six BCP neighborhood conversion charter schools. BCP administers the NWEA MAP three times each year (the beginning, middle, and the end of the year) to measure student’s achievement and growth in math, reading, and language usage. The NWEA MAP data informs BCP’s educators instructional decisions and allows them to create a customized learning experience for each student by addressing student strengths and challenges in real-time.  

BCP schools also use the MAP Reading Fluency assessment as a literacy screener (and in compliance with the Ready to Read Act), for all Kindergarten classes to determine students’ foundational reading skills and to identify potential risk of future difficulties so that appropriate early interventions can be put in place. In addition, we also screen students in Grades 1-3 who show some level of risk of present or future difficulty on their MAP Growth assessment, as well as those who are new and not previously screened. 

“The goal of assessments should be about supporting learning,” Brianna Kaufman explains. “Using MAP Growth as part of a comprehensive and balanced assessment plan, our teachers can make data-informed decisions to better support instruction. Student and class reports not only show where students are on the learning continuum but also provide a breakdown of the skills students are lacking. This is extremely valuable information for an educator.”  

“NWEA’s Fusion conference is one part of our year-round commitment to intentional professional development for BCP educators and administrators,” adds Laura Doherty, BCP President and CEO. “We fund conference attendance during the summer and school year for our team to expand their expertise, network with other educators, and continue to craft their skills. I am excited to see how Brianna, Bernarda, and Maura share what they’ve learned at Fusion across the BCP network.”