How to prepare students for the MAP test

Why this matters

A student who picks the first choice that looks right can miss fraction questions they know how to answer. 1/8 looks bigger than 1/4 because 8 is bigger than 4. On a worksheet the answer gets an X with no question about the reasoning, and the teacher has to wait months for the next MAP score to find out whether the student rushed or doesn't understand fractions.

What the MAP test is

The MAP test is MAP Growth, a computer-adaptive test from NWEA, so when a student answers a question correctly, the next question is harder, and when they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. Most schools give it at the beginning, middle and end of the school year, in the fall, winter and spring, and each test gives a RIT score that measures growth over time, regardless of grade level (NWEA's family guide to MAP Growth). The test is not timed, most students finish in less than an hour, and the questions include multiple choice and drag-and-drop (NWEA).

There is no passing or failing MAP Growth, and most students get about half the questions wrong. NWEA says students should prepare rather than study: know what to expect (NWEA).

The Flint quiz below is not an NWEA test and gives no RIT score. Every student gets the same six fraction questions, in multiple-choice, ordering and written form. Unlike a worksheet, Sparky reads each student's written explanation and asks a question about the reasoning that student gave.

Sparky's feedback sends Kian back to his own answers

Kian answers fast and loses points on the quick questions, then earns full points when he explains fractions with his own example. Every student takes the same quiz, and Sparky's feedback depends on what each student wrote.

Sparky starts from what Kian wroteSparky asks a question instead of giving the answerSparky names what made a right answer right

K

Kian

Interest: Pokémon cardsStarting point: Picks the first answer that looks right

Kian

Kian

Question 2: Maya ate 1/8 of a pizza. Jon ate 1/4 of a pizza the same size. Who ate more?
maya ate more because 8 is bigger then 4. so 1/8 is more

Sparky

You said 8 is bigger than 4, so 1/8 is more. If you cut a pizza into 8 slices, how big is each slice compared to cutting the same pizza into only 4 slices?

Kian

Question 5: Ana says 3/8 + 2/8 = 5/16. Is she right?
yes shes right. 3+2=5 and 8+8=16 so its 5/16

Sparky

You wrote that 8 + 8 = 16, which would mean the pieces got smaller after adding. If Ana starts with eighths and adds more eighths, can she end up with sixteenths, which are even tinier pieces?

Kian

Question 6: How can you tell which fraction is greater when both have 1 on top? Give an example from your own life.
the one with the smaller number on the bottom is bigger because the thing gets cut into less pieces so each piece is bigger. like if i split a pack of pokemon cards with my brother i get 1/2 but if i split it with 6 kids i only get 1/6 so 1/2 is more

Sparky

Excellent work! You nailed the explanation: a smaller denominator means the whole is cut into fewer pieces, so each piece is bigger. And your Pokémon card example is perfect. Full marks!

Rushed the quick questions, then earned full points with his own example

Kian is an example student, and Sparky's replies are shortened. Each bubble is Kian's answer to a quiz question or Sparky's feedback on it.

What Flint did for Kian

• When Kian wrote that 1/8 is more because 8 is bigger than 4, Sparky quoted his reason and asked him to picture a pizza cut into 8 slices and into 4.
• When Kian added the bottom numbers to get 5/16, Sparky asked whether adding eighths to eighths can make smaller pieces, without writing the sum for him.
• When Kian's Pokémon card example earned full points, Sparky named the idea that made it right: fewer pieces means bigger pieces.

A teacher can't do this by hand for 30 students, and Sparky does it on every student's quiz.

The activity page shows every student's grade

Flint scores the multiple-choice and ordering questions, and Sparky scores each written answer against the teacher's grading guide. The Submissions table lists each student's grade, how long they took, and how many questions they answered or skipped. Open any submission to read Sparky's feedback, change a score, or add your own feedback on an answer before students see it.

Set up the activity for free

Open the fractions quiz in Flint's public library, select Use activity to copy it into a free Flint account, and assign it to a class. Students see their scores after you select Share results on a submission. They see Sparky's feedback on each written answer after you select Share answer key on the activity page, which also shows them the correct answers and your grading guide.

To build your own quiz, select Create activity in a class, choose Take a test or quiz, and describe the questions to Sparky, upload a document, or paste a test you already have. Write a grading guide for each written question, because Sparky scores the answer and writes its feedback from that guide.

For more test prep activities, see Flint for test prep.