In Grades 1 and 2 that involves assessments in reading and in math and for Grades 3 – 8 that involves reading, math, and language usage.

The purpose of these assessments is to determine the students’ instructional levels, set goals, and to measure academic growth throughout the school year. Students take the assessments online. We started to use MAP in 2015 and each year both the assessments and our use of them have been updated, refined, and expanded.

MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for the student’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude about their results.  In total, the students spend a total of about 120 -200 minutes completing the assessments every three months.

In addition, to utilizing the results of the assessments to improve and enhance student learning and outcomes, we receive benchmarks which allow us to compare the results of our students and classes with the norms/standards established by all participating schools.

Each year, the benchmarks consistently show that our students and classes are outperforming the norms as well as the average scores of other participating schools.

At GCCS we are excited to increase our educational tools as we focus on every child’s growth and achievement. Partnering to help all kids learn, parents and teachers can have a profound positive effect on the lives of our students. Our students are image bearers of God, capable of responding to that responsibly and privilege of stewardship on all sorts of levels.  As educators, we are working to establish communities of care and support in our classrooms that are characterized by a growth mindset.