Northwest ISD students performing among top 25% in nation
March 31, 2026
According to midyear MAP results, Northwest ISD students are performing among the top 25% of students in the United States. Widely considered a gold standard among testing, MAP uses norm-referenced data to show how students perform compared to their counterparts.
In each subject area, MAP uses a “norm” to measure student performance against. A norm is like a yardstick made from the average scores of millions of students across the country. Instead of only seeing a student’s score, the norm helps educators understand how the score compares to other students the same age and grade. Schools still see the specific performances of students and the areas where they succeed or need improvement, however. In MAP, RIT scores are specific measures used that show how proficient students are in a content area and when they are ready to advance to new material.
As part of the district’s annual improvement plan to ensure students, staff and schools show continuous progress, Northwest ISD uses MAP testing to measure student growth and achievement. School districts across Texas implement MAP testing as it provides teachers with meaningful insights to personalize learning for individual students based on their results. Through MAP data, teachers target instruction at the appropriate rigor level to help students learn and grow.
Among 17 tests across three subjects and seven grade levels, Northwest ISD students exceeded the 75-percentile rank – or scoring among the top 25% of students – in all but two categories. Students met or exceeded the 80-percentile rank in 10 of those 17 categories. The district is analyzing the data for the two test areas with the lowest performance and working on additional subject support going forward.
This performance represents the average across the district, though educators know that each student learns at his or her own pace and differentiation is essential in everyday instruction. Northwest ISD curriculum provides resources and strategies aligned across the district to support teachers so they can provide small group and skill-based instruction. This curriculum includes tiered tasks within the same lesson and suggestions for differentiation to cater to diverse learners.
| Middle of Year MAP Performance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade Level | ELA Performance | Math Performance | Science Performance |
| 2nd Grade | 79% | 67% | N/A |
| 3rd Grade | 80% | 77% | N/A |
| 4th Grade | 81% | 83% | 87% |
| 5th Grade | 78% | 80% | 89% |
| 6th Grade | 76% | 83% | N/A |
| 7th Grade | 78% | 82% | N/A |
| 8th Grade | 74% | N/A | 89% |
Northwest ISD students take MAP testing annually in September, December and April to measure their performance at the beginning, middle and end of a school year. As an adaptive test, MAP compares students to one another to see how each student learns, as every student learns in his or her unique way.
During the 2025-2026 school year, district teachers and administrators have conducted professional development focused on analyzing growth and making informed instructional decisions. Throughout the school year, schools have implemented strategies to boost student thinking to encourage productive challenge and learning differentiation to engage all students.
Teachers receive professional development on small group instruction, questioning strategies and ways to assess learning throughout their instruction. MAP scores can be used by teachers and students alike to track RIT scores and set growth goals. Teachers are learning to help students understand their MAP scores to assist students in setting goals while teachers use student data to drive instruction.
Parents and guardians can use their student’s MAP Family Report to view important information about their child’s academic performance and growth targets for the school year. These reports provide an overview of a student’s performance in each subject they test, such as in this example report.
What can you do at home?
Parents can talk to students about their learning goals, whether those are about MAP or general learning goals. What do you want to get better at as a reader? What do you want to get better at math or science? This helps to build a growth mindset in students. Talking to your students about what they are learning shows that what they are doing every day in school is important.
One of the simplest activities a parent can do is to have your student read a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes every day. An extra step is to ask them about what they read, including specific questions about the book or material. Reading daily builds stamina, vocabulary and comprehension, which makes it the bedrock of education because it supports all content areas.
MAP is about growth, so the first thing parents should look for, Did they meet or exceed their growth goal? Next, Look at your child's RIT Number. It shows the current achievement band. Look to see that your child is growing over time. The parent reports give parents guiding information to help them understand them.
What about STAAR testing?
While Texas mandates public schools implement STAAR assessments, Northwest ISD firmly believes that the state exam provides limited benefits for students and educators alike. Many STAAR assessments are written at lexile levels – or an individual’s reading level – several grade levels above the testing grade. Questions in some subjects are not included in the state TEKS, or the topics students are expected to learn each year. Because these assessments are not written at appropriate grade levels, some tests require students to correctly answer just one-third of questions for a passing grade.
Northwest ISD and public schools across Texas fiercely advocated for state lawmakers to abolish the STAAR test, though legislation that was ultimately signed into law merely makes minor changes to the STAAR test and maintains its high-stakes nature. Many obvious changes that have been requested for decades, such as the adoption of an alternative test for students receiving special education services, were ignored to appease special interest lobbyist groups with no background in education.
Despite widespread opposition from parents and educators, students in public schools will still be measured on high-stakes standardized testing. Conversely, lawmakers approved norm-referenced testing similar to MAP for private schools using the state’s new taxpayer-funded voucher system.
Northwest ISD will continue to advocate on behalf of students and educators until public schools are afforded the same stress-free testing environment that benefits student learning that lawmakers provided to private schools.