This is a highly targeted 6-week NWEA MAP prep program for 3rd grade students. I have been using it in my classroom and for personal tutoring after realizing I needed something more structured than random review packets before testing season. Like many of you, my work is evaluated heavily on NWEA MAP performance and I needed a way to:

• Establish a clear baseline and set realistic expectations with parents (e.g., this is where we are now, this is where we could be in one month with serious effort, this is the score you can realistically expect, etc.)
• Break down performance by topic and percentile level in a personalized way so I can recommend the most impactful work on a student by student basis
• Track growth accurately and have a quick way to send detailed weekly updates to parents

It took me a very long time and many revisions to create this (collecting and aligning questions to state standards Common Core Standards, matching them to the latest published NWEA MAP score and percentile bands, finding the right balance between variety and depth, making scoring simple and effective, etc.). And I hope that many other teachers and tutors will find it useful.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Diagnostic Assessment: A full simulation of the real NWEA MAP. This sets a baseline, highlights gaps, and will be used later to show growth
• 4 Targeted Domain Deep Dives: Each week focuses on one of the four test domains (Number | Algebra | Measurement, Data, and Statistics | Geometry). Each deep dive includes: targeted domain questions, a spiral review of previous weeks to ensure learned topics aren't forgotten, and clear question categorization by RIT and Common Core Standards
• Weekly Scoring Rubric: Each deep dive ends with a scoring tool that allows you to identify student weaknesses, predict likely NWEA MAP performance, and suggest targeted follow up work. These can be easily cut off and sent home
• Final Test: A full simulation of the test that makes growth from Week 1 clearly visible. This allows you to highlight score improvement by topic and set final expectations with parents

PERFORMANCE BANDS

Scoring tables are based on the latest published cut-offs:

• Intervention | < 21st Percentile | RIT: < 190
• On Track | 21st-40th Percentile | RIT: 190-197
• Proficient | 41st-75th Percentile | RIT: 198-210
• Advanced | > 75th Percentile | RIT: 211-234

HOW I USE IT

I run this once a week for about an hour during the 6 weeks leading up to testing. I score it, send home the updated projections, and then move to the next domain. Our school runs this as an opt-in morning session before school starts, but it works perfectly during regular class hours too. I advise against assigning it as homework because outside help can compromise the accuracy of the data and undermine the purpose of tracking real growth. I built this with score improvement in mind, and it does that by design. But what stood out to me even more was how much easier parent communication became. When parents can see clear weekly data and know exactly which topics their child needs to work on to improve their score, they become much more involved. It's almost like working together rather than me carrying the responsibility alone (which is how teachers and tutors too often feel during testing season).