Julia May: “I would love to implement the 100-for-100 in our homeschool. Do you have any suggestions of homeschool testing that will identify gaps in reading, writing, math, science, etc.?”
I highly suggest using MAP Growth (“Measure of Academic Progress”) from NWEA. It’s the most useful, parent-friendly, growth-focused assessment I’ve seen for quickly surfacing what your kid knows, what they don’t, and what to do next.
At Alpha School, we use MAP because it’s computer-adaptive (it identifies your kid’s actual knowledge level, not grade level) and laser-precise about knowledge gaps. It covers reading, math, language usage, and science.
What MAP Is (and why it works)
MAP is a computer-adaptive test that adjusts question difficulty in real time. If your kid shows fluency in a question, MAP serves up a harder one. If they miss, it backs off. The result is a RIT score: not a grade or benchmark, but a point on a continuous growth scale. Think of it like measuring height: it tells you where a student is academically at a particular time, regardless of grade. In plain English, you get a heat map of strengths and gaps, not a vague “meets or doesn’t meet.”
MAP is used by districts, charters, and private schools across the country because it measures growth over time, not just a once-a-year proficiency snapshot. That matters. Kids develop at different speeds. A growth measure shows whether the work you’re doing is working.
There are three reasons we use it:
Placement without drama. MAP frees kids from grade-level handcuffs. If your 5th grader is doing 7th-grade fractions and 4th-grade geometry, MAP shows us those numbers. We teach at the level of the learner, not “the grade.”
Instruction that writes itself. MAP reports show precisely what students should be working on next. The data doesn’t lie.
Feedback loop that actually loops. At Alpha, we test and test and test. The growth shows up — or it doesn’t — and we adjust.
Schools typically run MAP in fall, winter, and spring. The fall test sets the baseline. Winter checks progress. Spring shows growth over the year. Because MAP is widely adopted, you also get national percentiles for context.
Overall, MAP testing is:
Truly adaptive. It’s the most flexible form of testing there is.
A measure of real growth. No grade inflation.
Full of actionable insights. It provides exact sub-skills to address next.
Neutral to curriculum. With zero bias.
If you want to teach kids from their results, MAP is a fantastic test. After all, data should set teachers free, not handcuff them. MAP is the best tool to help you see your kid’s knowledge graph clearly and teach them precisely.