The MAP test is administered to ensure that the Missouri performance standards are being met in Missouri's public schools. The standards are in place to ensure that Missouri public school graduates are able to go on to college, or into the workplace, with all the knowledge and skills they will need.
The Missouri performance standards have four main goals, which are to make sure students can gather, analyze, and apply information and ideas; communicate effectively; recognize and solve problems; and make decisions and act as responsible members of society.
Teachers spend all year preparing students for the MAP test, which is administered in the spring. During lectures, teachers might note that the information they are giving may be important for the MAP test. Many teachers hold study sessions for students as the test draws near.
Since teachers don't know what questions will be on the MAP test, they can't provide students with specific study guides. However, there are test-taking skills that students should know in order to achieve the highest score possible on the MAP test.
Much of the MAP test consists of multiple-choice questions, so students should learn to utilize the process of elimination and to make educated guesses.
The other part of the MAP test, which intimidates many students, is the short answer portion. For this portion, students should learn how to restate the question in their answers. They should know how to show their work and explain their answers, and which is appropriate for what kind of question. For example, for a long division problem, a student should show her work, but for a question about English literature, she should explain her answer.
It is also helpful in multistep short answer questions to number each question within the larger question. This will help the student to answer all parts of the question. Finally, students should take care to keep their answers inside the box provided, or at least one inch from the margins or booklet fold. If answers are outside the space provided, they may not be counted, which will lower the student's score.