Portland, Ore., Oct. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAP Growth, from the not-for-profit assessment solutions provider NWEA, won platinum in the assessment category in the 2017 THE Journal Readers’ Choice Awards. The annual awards recognize the best education technology products and services used by teachers throughout the country. No assessments received gold or silver awards.

Used in more than 8,500 schools and districts in the U.S. and internationally with more than 10 million students, MAP Growth is the leading assessment for measuring what students know and are ready to learn next. It provides educators with information, features, and capabilities they can’t get elsewhere.

• Educators regularly cite MAP Growth for delivering the most precise, valid, and reliable data on each student’s academic performance, regardless of whether the student performs on, above, or below grade level.
• Because it is computer adaptive, it dynamically adjusts to each student’s performance to create a personalized assessment experience.
• Teachers receive real-time data and easy-to-use reports that identify the specific needs of each student to help inform instruction.
• Partnerships with the greatest number of curriculum providers in the market allow teachers to have the greatest flexibility to use MAP Growth results with their favorite curricula.
• MAP Growth’s ability to track individual student growth through the school year, and over multiple years, means it can help predict each student’s proficiency and college readiness.
• MAP Growth is the first assessment to identify when a student is disengaged from the assessment and notify the proctor, allowing for real-time intervention.
• Recognizing that MAP Growth is most valuable to teachers when they best understand how to use and apply the assessment results, NWEA offers expanded professional development opportunities to help educators create customized learning pathways for their students.

“NWEA was founded 40 years ago by teachers and researchers who were determined to find a better way to assess students, and we’ve been improving, expanding, and perfecting that work ever since,” said Matt Chapman, CEO of NWEA. “We are honored that the tech-savvy educators and readers of THE Journal have recognized us and our products as valuable resources for their important work of teaching students.”

More than 1,450 technology-using educators participated in the third annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which recognizes the software, hardware, and services they consider most vital and valuable to educating and supporting students. Voters selected the best in 49 specific and extensive product categories.

About NWEA

NWEA^® is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction. For 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative Pre-K–12 assessments, professional learning that fosters educators’ ability to accelerate student learning, and research that supports assessment validity and data interpretation. Educators in 140 countries and more than half the schools in the US rely on our flagship interim assessment, MAP^® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP^® Skills™; and the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA). Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

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