Of approximately 4.8 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in US public schools, nearly 80% are native Spanish speakers. Educators are looking for better information on the largest subset of English learners in their schools. With that in mind, we recently announced Spanish versions of MAP® Growth™ reading and MAP Reading Fluency for fall 2019, to go along with Spanish MAP Growth math. We answered questions with a few members of our team who helped build the test – Adam Withycombe, DEd, and Teresa Krastel, PhD in a blog here – but certainly there are more.

With that in mind, here are five FAQs about MAP Spanish assessments.

1. What subjects and grades will have Spanish test options?

Spanish assessments will be available for the following subjects and grades starting this fall:

• MAP Growth Reading K-8
• MAP Growth Math K-12
• MAP Reading Fluency K-3

2. How much does MAP Spanish cost?

There is no additional charge for MAP Spanish assessments for customers who already have MAP Growth or MAP Reading Fluency. Starting this fall, Spanish MAP Growth reading and math tests will automatically be included with MAP Growth K-2 and MAP Growth licenses, and MAP Reading Fluency licenses will include Spanish assessment options, as well. You simply select a language preference for the assessments you already have–and that’s it.

3. Which students are the Spanish assessments appropriate for?

The Spanish assessments can be used by native Spanish speakers receiving Spanish-only instruction, native Spanish speakers receiving English-only instruction, native Spanish speakers receiving English and Spanish instruction, and any students learning Spanish as part of a dual language immersion or foreign language program. Note that educators should expect that students receiving English-only instruction will likely show lower growth on the Spanish assessments than students also receiving instruction in Spanish.

4. Are the tests translated? How are the item pools built?

The item pool for the Spanish MAP Growth assessments are made up of both items that are trans-adapted from our English item pool, meaning translated and checked for cultural bias, and newly created, authentic Spanish items. All of the Spanish passages and items for MAP Reading Fluency are newly created, authentic Spanish content.

5. What does our school need to do to get the Spanish assessments for fall?

If you don’t already have MAP Growth or MAP Reading Fluency, you can contact an NWEA account representative. You don’t need to do anything if you already have MAP Growth or MAP Reading Fluency. The Spanish assessments will automatically be included with your MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency assessments for the 2019-20 school year at no additional cost.

For more information on MAP Spanish assessments, visit our website.