Teaching & Learning

Madison District Public Schools serve a diverse population of students from Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties. Students have the opportunity to learn in an environment that meets their educational needs.

Meeting Student Needs

In Madison District Public Schools, we meet the needs of students by:

Offering a quality education by providing an academic curriculum that is rich, strong and challenging
Establishing a flexible learning environment that encourages student decision-making, critical thinking and an understanding of and appreciation for individual and cultural differences
Encouraging student leadership and involvement
Providing a safe and nurturing environment that encourages good citizenship
Free ALL day Kindergarten
Providing school of choice options for families in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties
21st Century Classroom Technology
Bilingual support in a multi-cultural environment
Specialized Reading and Math programs

Madison District Public Schools are proud of the fact that we believe ALL STUDENTS can achieve in their academics.

District and State Testing

Madison District Public Schools District and State Testing

Madison District Public Schools 2023-2024 Testing Calendar

NWEA

NWEA’s computerized adaptive tests are called Measure of Academic Progress, or MAP. When taking
a MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level.

Tests developed by NWEA use a scale called RIT to measure student achievement and growth. RIT stands for Rasch UnIT, which is a measurement scale developed to simplify the interpretation of test scores. The RIT score relates directly to the curriculum scale in each subject area. It is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, so scores can be added together to calculate accurate class or school averages.

RIT scores range from about 140 to 300. Students typically start at the 140 to 190 level in the third grade and progress to the 240 to 300 level by high school. RIT scores make it possible to follow a student’s educational growth from year to year.

M-STEP

The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP, is a 21st Century computer-based assessment designed to gauge how well students are mastering state standards. These standards, developed for educators by educators, broadly outline what students should know and be able to do in order to be prepared to enter the workplace, career education training, and college. When combined with classroom work, report cards, local district assessments and other tools, M-STEP results offer a comprehensive view of student progress and achievement.

SAT/PSAT College Board Suite of Assessments

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) uses the SAT with Essay as one part of the Michigan Merit Examination. In April 2023, the state will offer the PSAT 8/9 to eighth- and ninth-grade students, the PSAT 10 to sophomores, and the SAT to juniors during regular school hours for free.

WIDA

The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs suite of assessments comprises secure large-scale English language proficiency assessments administered to Kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as English learners (ELs). The assessments are given annually in Michigan to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English, and include Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs, ACCESS for ELLs online and paper-based, and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.