A question we’re often asked by parents is: How do you know how my child is doing academically, and how do you use that information?
Assessment plays an important role in helping us answer that question, but only when it’s used thoughtfully and purposefully. At Bridges, we believe assessments should inform instruction, not drive it. They should help teachers understand students better and support them more effectively.
This year, we continue to use MAP testing, which many of you are already familiar with, and we’ve added a new tool into the assessment mix called i-Ready. Together, these assessments give us a clearer, more complete picture of each student’s learning.
A Quick Refresher: MAP Testing
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) is an assessment we administer three times a year — in the fall, winter, and spring. It is designed to measure student growth over time.
MAP is a norm-referenced assessment, meaning it compares a student’s performance to that of other students across the country. It provides us with percentile rankings and growth data that help answer questions like:
- How much has my child grown since the last assessment?
- How does my child’s academic progress compare nationally?
- Are we seeing growth trends across the school as a whole?
MAP is especially useful for long-term growth tracking, accountability, and reporting. It also aligns closely with state assessments, which makes it helpful for understanding readiness for future academic expectations.
Why We Added i-Ready
While MAP gives us an excellent picture of how much students are growing, it doesn’t tell us everything we need to know for day-to-day instruction. That’s where i-Ready comes in.
i-Ready is a diagnostic and instructional tool that helps answer a different but equally important question:
- What does this student need to learn next?
Like MAP, i-Ready diagnostics are administered three times per year. However, i-Ready goes a step further by identifying specific skill strengths and gaps in reading and math. Based on diagnostic results, i-Ready creates a personalized learning pathway for each student, targeting skills they are ready to work on right now.
How i-Ready Supports Individualized Instruction
At Bridges, teachers teach grade-level standards in the classroom while also supporting students at their individualized learning levels. i-Ready helps us do both.
Here’s how it works:
- Students complete an adaptive diagnostic in reading and math.
- Based on their results, i-Ready creates a personalized learning path for each student.
- During designated skills time, students work on their individualized lessons.
- Teachers can monitor progress, adjust instruction, and assign additional practice aligned to what’s happening in the classroom.
This allows teachers to:
- Pinpoint specific skill gaps.
- Group students strategically for present-level skills support.
- Track progress toward academic goals.
- Adjust instruction when students are struggling — or when they’re ready to move ahead.
Importantly, i-Ready is a supplement, not a replacement for teacher-led instruction. Students typically use i-Ready for about one hour per week total: 30 minutes for reading and 30 minutes for math. Teacher instruction, discussion, collaboration, and hands-on learning remain central to our classrooms.
Using Assessments Thoughtfully
We know that families sometimes have concerns about technology or testing overuse. We share those concerns, which is why we are very intentional about how assessments are used at Bridges.
- Assessments are not timed and are designed to reduce stress.
- i-Ready diagnostics can be completed in short sessions and include built-in brain breaks.
- We prioritize teacher judgment, relationships, and classroom instruction above any single data point.
- Assessment data is used to support students, not label them.
Why We Use Both MAP and i-Ready
MAP and i-Ready serve different but complementary purposes:
- MAP helps understand growth over time and how students compare nationally.
- i-Ready helps us understand individual learning needs and plan instruction accordingly.
Together, they give us a well-rounded view of student learning — one that supports both our school-wide goals and the unique needs of each child.
I hope this information has been helpful in explaining how and why we assess student learning at Bridges. If you have any questions about MAP, i-Ready, or how your child is supported in our classrooms, please don’t hesitate to reach out.