The Northwest Evaluation Association, a non-profit organization committed to helping K-12 school districts improve learning for all children, announces the launch of DesCartes: A Continuum of Learning. It is a tool designed for teachers and principals to simplify the task of translating assessment data into specific skills and concepts.

DesCartes maps mathematics, reading, and language usage skills along a continuum of learning, and connects each skill with test score ranges and state standards for all the states.

Because DesCartes is organized by achievement level and ties test scores to learning needs, teachers can use student assessment scores to understand exactly which skills and concepts students are ready to learn. DesCartes is also customized and aligned to the goal structures and content standards of every state. This means educators can pair assessment data and DesCartes to see where their students stand in comparison to mandated state goals.

Teachers can use DesCartes information to:

-- Identify specific skills and concepts students need to provide the most appropriate academic challenge for each student.

-- Select materials based on the diversity of skill levels within a class, and find appropriate materials for students at the extreme ends of the learning spectrum.

-- Create flexible learning groups based on students' performance,

-- Collaborate with staff to successfully meet the needs of all learners.

"Tomorrow's schools will determine the nature and amount of academic growth each child needs and will then organize to see that it happens," says Allan Olson, NWEA Executive Director. "With DesCartes we have the tool to help us reach this ambitious goal."

DesCartes also allows school staff to help students understand their individual academic goals, help them see their progress, and share students' academic progress and needs with parents.

DesCartes groups skills and concepts along a continuum of learning mapped to NWEA's unique measurement scale. This equal-interval scale, called RIT, measures growth like a ruler measures height. After the testing session is complete, teachers receive RIT scores and other data for each child.

NWEA pioneered the use of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to support student learning. Its member districts nationwide use its CAT, called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), to measure academic growth over time. Typically, NWEA member districts administer MAP in the fall when students arrive, again in mid-year, and in the spring. The RIT scale-based scores enable teachers to see each child's academic growth and compare that to the child's goal for the year. They can also see growth between grades and project whether students will be on track to meet graduation requirements.

The name DesCartes was chosen for this tool to honor French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes, who created a system that revolutionized map making. Additionally, the French word for maps, des cartes (lit. "the maps") hints at the name of NWEA's computerized adaptive tests.

About NWEA

The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping all children learn. NWEA provides research-based educational growth measures, professional training, and consulting services to improve teaching and learning. Partnering with school districts, states, and other education organizations, NWEA delivers computerized assessment services to more than 1,500 education agencies and three million students. Additionally, its Growth Research Database, the most extensive collection of student growth data in the country, provides a rich opportunity for the study of academic achievement. For more information about DesCartes and NWEA visit www.nwea.org.