NWEA MAP scores help parents and teachers understand a student’s current achievement level and academic growth in subjects such as reading, mathematics, language usage, and science. MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive assessment, which means the difficulty of the questions changes according to the student’s answers. The goal is to measure what the student knows now and what they are ready to learn next.
For the 2026–2027 school year, schools are using the updated 2025 MAP Growth norms. These norms provide the national comparison data used to interpret MAP scores by grade level, testing season, and subject. The updated norms give families more current information when comparing student achievement and growth with national results.
What Does an NWEA MAP Score Mean?
MAP Growth results are reported using the RIT scale. RIT stands for Rasch Unit. It is an equal-interval scale, similar to the marks on a ruler, so a ten-point increase represents the same amount of measured growth at different points on the scale.
A RIT score should not be interpreted by itself. Parents should compare it with:
The student’s grade
The subject tested
The Fall, Winter, or Spring testing season
The national grade-level mean
The student’s achievement percentile
Growth between testing periods
An achievement percentile shows how a student performed compared with same-grade students nationally. For example, a percentile rank of 72 means the student scored as well as or better than 72 percent of comparable students. A growth percentile measures how the student’s progress compares with students who had similar starting scores.
What Is a RIT Score?
A RIT score represents a student’s achievement on the MAP Growth scale. Because the scale is designed with equal intervals, it can be used to track changes between testing periods.
For example, if a student’s RIT score increases by 10 points between Fall and Spring, that represents 10 points of measured growth on the scale.
A RIT score is not a percentage or traditional classroom grade. Parents should always consider the student’s grade, subject, and testing season when interpreting it.
What Is an Achievement Percentile?
An achievement percentile compares a student’s performance with students in the same grade nationally.
For example, a percentile rank of 72 means the student performed as well as or better than approximately 72 percent of students in the comparison group.
A percentile is not the same as a percentage score. A student at the 72nd percentile did not necessarily answer 72 percent of questions correctly.
Instead, the percentile shows the student’s relative position compared with other students.
What Is a Growth Percentile?
A growth percentile measures how a student’s academic progress compares with students who had similar starting scores.
Achievement and growth provide different information. Achievement helps show where a student is currently performing, while growth shows how much progress the student has made.
A student can have a lower achievement percentile and still demonstrate strong growth. Another student may have a high achievement percentile but show more moderate growth.
Looking at both measurements provides a more complete picture of academic progress.
What Changed in the New MAP Norms?
The RIT scale itself has not changed, but the national reference points have. NWEA reports that the 2025 norms generally reflect lower national achievement than the previous 2020 norms, with larger differences among lower-performing students.
As a result, the same RIT score may now correspond to a somewhat different percentile than it did under the older norms.
This is why families should use current NWEA MAP score charts for 2026 and 2027 rather than older charts found online.
Find MAP Scores by Grade Level
You can view updated NWEA MAP scores by grade level, MAP score charts, national averages, percentile ranges, and typical Fall, Winter, and Spring scores at ReadyScores.com.
The charts make it easier to compare a child’s score with students in the same grade and testing season. Separate information is available for MAP reading scores, MAP math scores, language usage, and science.
Parents should remember that one score does not tell the full story. The MAP Growth Family Report combines achievement, growth, and projected proficiency so families can see both current performance and progress over time.
Why Growth Matters
MAP Growth is designed to measure progress over time, making growth an important part of understanding a student's results.
Parents can compare scores from different testing periods to see whether a student's RIT score has increased. For example, comparing Fall and Spring results can show how much measured growth occurred during the school year.
Growth should be considered alongside achievement rather than used by itself. Together, these measurements can help families better understand a student's academic development.
About ReadyScores.com
ReadyScores.com is a resource for NWEA MAP scores, MAP scores by grade level, i-Ready scores, STAR scores, national percentile charts, and school assessment interpretation.
The website also provides free calculators in English and German. These include the NWEA MAP Score Calculator, i-Ready Score Calculator, APUSH Score Calculator, Time Duration Calculator, free Timecard Calculator, Work Hours Calculator, Arbeitszeitrechner, Stundenrechner, and other useful education and time tools.