MODULE 5

Assessment in Mathematics

INTRODUCTION

How do teachers know what learners know? What can we do to find out what
knowledge and understandings learners bring with them to our classrooms? How do we
know what children have learned in our classroom? How do we develop opportunities
that create future learning affordances?

People think of assessment as testing to see what students have learned.

However, it is much broader in scope. Helping pupils learn mathematics requires that
assessment be an integral aspect of mathematics teaching. Hence, a mathematics
program must include assessments that are done for students to guide and enhance
their learning. It is therefore imperative that teachers need to have a repertoire of
assessment strategies that can be used to help students develop mathematical
understandings and learning that meet the needs of the curriculum (Australian Institute
for Teaching & School Leadership, 2014).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this module, you should be able to:

a. explain the goals of assessment in mathematics;
b. differentiate formative from summative assessment; and
c. evaluate methods and strategies for gathering information about students’
learning.

LEARNING CONTENT

Lesson 1: Purposes and Goals of Assessment in Mathematics

What is assessment?

The term assessment is defined in the NCTM Assessment Standards (see Table
5.1) as a way to collect evidence about students’ content knowledge, flexibility in
applying that knowledge, and disposition or attitudes toward mathematics (NCTM,
2000).

According to the Australian Association of Mathematics (AAMT 2013, para. 1),

‘Whatever is worth teaching is worth evaluating’. Callingham (2010, p. 41), takes this
further by outlining the importance of assessment in terms of learning and teaching:

Assessment is arguably the most powerful element in teaching and learning. Quality assessment can
provide information to students, teachers, parents and systems in effective and useful ways. To be
helpful, however, it must be broad ranging, collecting a variety of information using a range of tasks
before, during and after a teaching sequence.

Purposes and Goals of Assessment

One of the first things to consider when planning for assessment is its purpose.
Who will use the results? For what will they use them?

Assessment is used to:

• inform and guide teaching and learning

A good classroom assessment plan gathers evidence of student learning that
informs teachers’ instructional decisions. It provides teachers with information
about what students know and can do. To plan effective instruction, teachers
also need to know what the student misunderstands and where the
misconceptions lie. In addition to helping teachers formulate the next teaching
steps, a good classroom assessment plan provides a road map for students.
Students should, at all times, have access to the assessment so they can use it
to inform and guide their learning.

• help students set learning goals

Students need frequent opportunities to reflect on where their learning is at and

what needs to be done to achieve their learning goals. When students are
actively involved in assessing their own next learning steps and creating goals to
accomplish them, they make major advances in directing their learning and what
they understand about themselves as learners.

• assign report card grades

Grades provide parents, employers, other schools, governments, post-secondary

institutions and others with summary information about student learning.

• motivate students

Learners will be motivated and confident when they experience progress and
achievement, rather than the failure and defeat associated with being compared
to more successful peers.
Lesson 2: Types of Assessment

Assessment is integral to the teaching–learning process, facilitating student

learning and improving instruction, and can take a variety of forms. Classroom
assessment is generally divided into three types: assessment for learning, assessment
of learning and assessment as learning.

Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment)

The philosophy behind assessment for learning is that assessment and teaching
should be integrated into a whole. The power of such an assessment doesn't come from
intricate technology or from using a specific assessment instrument. It comes from
recognizing how much learning is taking place in the common tasks of the school day –
and how much insight into student learning teachers can mine from this material.

Assessment for learning is ongoing assessment that allows teachers to monitor

students on a day-to-day basis and modify their teaching based on what the students
need to be successful. This assessment provides students with the timely, specific
feedback that they need to make adjustments to their learning.

After teaching a lesson, we need to determine whether the lesson was accessible
to all students while still challenging to the more capable; what the students learned
and still need to know; how we can improve the lesson to make it more effective; and,
if necessary, what other lesson we might offer as a better alternative. This continual
evaluation of instructional choices is at the heart of improving our teaching practice.

Assessment of Learning (Summative Assessment)

Assessment of learning is the snapshot in time that lets the teacher, students
and their parents know how well each student has completed the learning tasks and
activities. It provides information about student achievement. While it provides useful
reporting information, it often has little effect on learning.

Final exams, as well as national standardized tests, are familiar examples of

assessments of learning.

Assessment as Learning

Assessment as learning develops and supports students' metacognitive skills.

This form of assessment is crucial in helping students become lifelong learners. As
students engage in peer and self-assessment, they learn to make sense of information,
relate it to prior knowledge and use it for new learning. Students develop a sense of
ownership and efficacy when they use teacher, peer and self-assessment feedback to
make adjustments, improvements and changes to what they understand

Lesson 3: Tools and Techniques in Assessment

As students work with mathematical tasks, they should be able to:

• explain, interpret and justify what they know in their own ways, not just present
what others have said about the topic

• make and explore connections that are not immediately obvious

• speak to their peers about the personal strategies they have used to arrive at
their solutions

• provide evidence of their learning based on explicit criteria

• create new ways to express ideas, insights and feelings; e.g., making models or
representations as they devise various ways to solve a problem, justifying their
solutions, creating simulations, working with what they understand in new
situations or contexts

• take action when they recognize that their understanding of issues, problems
and ideas could be improved.

Teachers can use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to assess student
performance. Some of these strategies and tools include:

Observation

Observing students as they solve problems, model skills to others, think aloud
during a sequence of activities or interact with peers in different learning situations
provides insight into student learning and growth. The teacher finds out under what
conditions success is most likely, what individual students do when they encounter
difficulty, how interaction with others affects their learning and concentration, and what
students need to learn next. Observations may be informal or highly structured, and
incidental or scheduled over different periods of time in different learning contexts.

Observation checklists allow teachers to record information quickly about how

students perform in relation to specific outcomes from the program of studies.
Observation checklists, written in a yes/no format can be used to assist in observing
student performance relative to specific criteria. They may be directed toward
observations of an individual or group. These tools can also include spaces for brief
comments, which provide additional information not captured in the checklist.
Before you use an observation checklist, ensure students understand what information
will be gathered and how it will be used. Ensure checklists are dated to provide a record
of observations over a period of time. Tips for Using Observation Checklists
1. Determine specific outcomes to observe and assess.

2. Decide what to look for. Write down criteria or evidence that indicates the
student is demonstrating the outcome.

3. Ensure students know and understand what the criteria are.

4. Target your observation by selecting four to five students per class and one or
two specific outcomes to observe.

5. Develop a data gathering system, such as a clipboard for anecdotal notes, a

checklist or rubric, or a video or audio recorder.

6. Collect observations over a number of classes during a reporting period and look
for patterns of performance.

7. Date all observations.

8. Share observations with students, both individually and in a group. Make the
observations specific and describe how this demonstrates or promotes thinking
and learning. For example; "Angela, you contributed several ideas to your
group's Top Ten list. You really helped your group finish their task within the
time limit."

9. Use the information gathered from observation to enhance or modify future

instruction.

Anecdotal Notes

Anecdotal notes are used to record specific observations of individual student

behaviors, skills and attitudes as they relate to the outcomes in the program of studies.
Such notes provide cumulative information on student learning and direction for further
instruction. Anecdotal notes are often written as the result of ongoing observations
during the lessons but may also be written in response to a product or performance the
student has completed. They are brief, objective and focused on specific outcomes.
Notes taken during or immediately following an activity are generally the most accurate.
Anecdotal notes for a particular student can be periodically shared with that student or
be shared at the student’s request. They can also be shared with students and parents
at parent– teacher–student conferences.

The purpose of anecdotal notes is to:

 • provide information regarding a student's development over a period of
time

• provide ongoing records about individual instructional needs

• capture observations of significant behaviors that might otherwise be lost

• provide ongoing documentation of learning that may be shared with
students, parents and teachers.

Tips for Establishing and Maintaining Anecdotal Notes

1. Keep a binder with a separate page for each student. Record observations using
a clipboard and sticky notes. Write the date and the student’s name on each
sticky note. Following the note taking, place individual sticky notes on the page
reserved for that student in the binder.

2. Keep a binder with dividers for each student and blank pages to jot down notes.
The pages may be divided into three columns: Date, Observation and Action
Plan.

3. Keep a class list in the front of the binder and check off each student's name as
anecdotal notes are added to their section of the binder. This provides a quick
reference of the students you have observed and how frequently you have
observed them.

4. Keep notes brief and focused (usually no more than a few sentences or
phrases).

5. Note the context and any comments or questions for follow-up.

6. Keep comments objective. Make specific comments about student strengths,

especially after several observations have been recorded and a pattern has been
observed.

7. Record as the observations are being made, or as soon after as possible, so

recollections will be accurate.

8. Record comments regularly, if possible.

9. Record at different times and during different activities to develop a balanced

profile of student mathematics learning.

10. Review records frequently to ensure that notes are being made on each student
regularly and summarize information related to trends in students' learning.

11. Share anecdotal notes with students and parents at conferences.

Questioning

Good questioning techniques can also complement and enlighten your

assessment observations. Asking good questions is an art that needs to be developed
and practiced. When you teach through questioning, you actively involve students and
know more about what they are thinking. In planning your lessons, you should think of
questions that will help you gauge whether students are doing the following:

• making sense of the mathematics

• approaching a problem in different ways

• clearly explaining their thinking

• showing evidence of generalizing.

As you circulate around the classroom to observe and evaluate students’ understanding,
your use of questions is one of the most important ways to formatively assess in each
lesson phase. Keep the following essential questions in mind as you move about the
classroom to prompt and probe students’ thinking (print off these Question Probes to
carry with you):

• What can you tell me about [today’s topic]?

• How can you put the problem in your own words?
• What did you do that helped you understand the problem?
• How does this problem remind you of another problem we’ve done?
• Did you find any numbers or information you didn’t need? How did you know
that the information was not important?
• How did you decide what to do?
• How did you decide whether your answer was right?
• Did you try something that didn’t work? How did you figure out it was not going
to work?
• What is something you did in this problem that you could use to help you solve
other problems?
• Can you show that idea with [a model, a sketch, an equation]?

Getting students accustomed to responding to these questions (as well as familiar with
asking questions about their thinking and the thinking of others) helps prepare them for
the more intensive questioning used in more formal interviews. Also, challenging
students who are secure with their answers or thinking helps them focus on their
reasoning.

Interview
Interview is a powerful way to learn about a student’s thinking and to give her or
him some special attention. Key factors in a successful interview are establishing
rapport with the child, actively listening to responses, accepting responses without
judging and encouraging the child to talk and explain. A short interview can provide a
wealth of information regarding a student’s understanding.
Although you will not have time to ask in-depth questions of each of your
students each day, it can be enlightening to choose a few children to interview each
week until you have had a chance to talk with each individual. Teachers are often
surprised at how students value private time with them and how much they learn in a
short time. You may be able to squeeze in an interview or 2 each day during whole-
class silent reading time, work station time (when other students are circulating from
station to station) or seatwork time.
Before interviewing a student, you need a basic plan of what concepts or skills to
assess, what materials you need, what questions to ask, and when and how you will
record the information. You may want to have alternative paths to take if the interview
proceeds in different ways.
The interview itself generally has 3 phases: initiation, questioning/hypothesis
formulation and questioning/hypothesis testing. During the initiation phase, the
interviewer puts the student at ease by chatting informally, asking nonthreatening
personal interest questions, showing the child the materials that will be used and
ensuring that he or she is familiar with them, and explaining the purpose of the
interview. Next, begin posing tasks, making certain to rephrase questions in the
student’s own language when necessary and encourage the student to explain and
elaborate.
It is the interviewer’s responsibility to ask questions in a variety of ways in order
to formulate hypotheses about how the child is thinking about the task and what the
child does and does not understand. It is critical to remain nonjudgmental about
student responses, even though students often look for subtle clues about the
correctness of their answers. Some noncommittal phrases that are helpful in prompting
children to explain their thinking further (without indicating whether previous responses
have been right or wrong) include the following.
• I am interested in knowing more about your thinking. Talk to me about it.
• Pretend you are the teacher and I am your student. Please help me
understand.
• Can you explain that in a different way?
• I like it when you take the time to explain your thinking.
• I think I understand now, but what if . . .?
As the second phase of the interview, begin to formulate hypotheses about what the
child knows and where the child has trouble.

The third phase is the time to ask questions specifically designed to test
hypotheses, to see if the difficulties really are what they seem to be. A big temptation
for many teachers is to slide into teaching during an interview. It is important to resist
the temptation to fix errors or misconceptions on the spot. If there is time, teaching
may be appropriate, but re-teaching or tutoring is often better reserved for another
day. The focus of a classroom interview should be to figure out what a student knows,
not to help him or her on the spot.

Tasks. The category of tasks refers to a variety of written products, including problem
based tasks, journal entries, student self-assessments, and tests. Good assessment
tasks for either instructional or formative assessment purposes should permit every
student in the class, regardless of mathematical ability, to demonstrate his or her
knowledge, skill, or understanding.

Problem-Based Tasks. Problem-based tasks are tasks that are connected to actual
problem solving activities used in instruction. Good tasks permit every student in the
class to demonstrate their abilities. They also include real world or authentic contexts
that interest students or relate to recent classroom events. Of course, be mindful that
English language learners may need support with contexts, as those challenges with
language should not overshadow the attention to their mathematical ability. Problem-
based tasks have several critical components that make them suitable for assessment.
They:
• Focus on an important mathematics concept or skill aligned to a valued
learning expectation
• Stimulate the connection of students’ previous knowledge to new content
• Allow multiple solution methods or approaches with a variety of tools
• Offer opportunities for students to correct themselves along the way
• Provide occasions for students to confront common misconceptions
• Encourage students to use reasoning and explain their thinking
• Create opportunities to observe students’ use of mathematical processes
and practices
• Generate data for instructional decision making as you listen to your
students’ thinking
Translation Tasks. One important option for a task is what we refer to as a
translation task. Using seven representations for concepts, students are asked to use
more than one representation (e.g., words, tools, and numbers) to demonstrate
understanding of a single problem. As students move between these representations,
there is a better chance that a concept will be formed correctly and integrated into a
rich web of ideas. So what is a good way of structuring a translation task? With use of
template based on a format for assessing concept mastery (see Figure 5.2) and a
Translation Task Activity Page, you can give students a computational equation and ask
them to:

Write a word problem that matches the equation

• Illustrate the equation with materials, models, or drawings
• Explain their process of arriving at an answer or the meaning of the
operation

In particular, students’ ability to communicate how they solved a problem is

critical for open response questions on many summative assessments.

Translation tasks can be used for whole-class lessons or for individual or small-
group diagnosis. For example, second-grade children may be given an equation such as
36 + 49 = ?. Their task could be to draw a model of base-ten materials in the
“Model/Illustration” area (younger children could just use manipulatives), describe a
story problem or real-world situation in the upper right corner and explain to another
person in writing (or scripted or audio recorded by the teacher for younger children)
how they solved the addition in the fourth area marked “Explanation/Meaning of the
Operation.”

Think about using translation tasks when you want to find out more about a
student’s ability to represent ideas in various forms and explain why these
representations are similar or different. Depending on the age of the student, the
translation task can start in any section of the template, with the student filling in the
other three sections. For example, in the “Word Problem” area, write “One side of the
rectangle is 6 cm. The area is 48 cm2. How long is the other side?”

One step in the process of moving from teaching tasks to assessment tasks
involves the addition of a rubric. The next section will explain how you can create and
use both generic rubrics that describe general qualities of performance and topic-
specific (or curriculum based) rubrics that include criteria based on particular lesson
objectives.

Equation/written Symbols Story Problem/Real-World

Situation

36 + 49 =
Model/Illustration Explanation/Meaning of the
 Operation

Figure 5.2 Translation task template with example task

Checklists, Rating Scales, and Rubrics
Checklists, rating scales, and rubrics are tools that state specific criteria and
allow teachers and students to gather information and to make judgments’ about what
students know and can do in relation to the outcomes. They offer systematic ways of
collecting data about specific behaviors, knowledge and skills.

The quality of information acquired through the use of checklists, rating scales
and rubrics is highly dependent on the quality of the descriptors chosen for assessment.
Their benefit is also dependent on students’ direct involvement in the assessment and
understanding of the feedback provided.

The purpose of checklists, rating scales and rubrics is to:

• provide tools for systematic recording of observations

• provide tools for self-assessment

• provide samples of criteria for students prior to collecting and evaluating data on
their work

• record the development of specific skills, strategies, attitudes and behaviors

necessary for demonstrating learning

• clarify students' instructional needs by presenting a record of current

accomplishments.

Tips for Developing Checklists, Rating Scales and Rubrics

1. Use checklists, rating scales and rubrics in relation to outcomes and standards.

2. Use simple formats that can be understood by students and that will
communicate information about student learning to parents.

3. Ensure that the characteristics and descriptors listed are clear, specific and
observable.
 4. Encourage students to assist with constructing appropriate criteria. For example,
what are the descriptors that demonstrate levels of performance in problem
solving?

5. Ensure that checklists, rating scales and rubrics are dated to track progress over
time.

6. Leave space to record anecdotal notes or comments.

7. Use generic templates that become familiar to students and to which various
descriptors can be added quickly, depending on the outcome(s) being assessed.

8. Provide guidance to students to use and create their own checklists, rating scales
and rubrics for self-assessment purposes and as guidelines for goal setting.

Checklists

Usually offer a yes/no format in relation to student demonstration of specific

criteria. This is similar to a light switch; the light is either on or off. They may be used
to record observations of an individual, a group or a whole class.

Rating Scales

Allow teachers to indicate the degree or frequency of the behaviors, skills and
strategies displayed by the learner. To continue the light switch analogy, a rating scale
is like a dimmer switch that provides for a range of performance levels. Rating scales
state the criteria and provide three or four response selections to describe the quality or
frequency of student work.

Teachers can use rating scales to record observations and students can use them
as self-assessment tools. Teaching students to use descriptive words, such as always,
usually, sometimes and never helps them pinpoint specific strengths and needs. Rating
scales also give students information for setting goals and improving performance. In a
rating scale, the descriptive word is more important than the related number. The more
precise and descriptive the words for each scale point, the more reliable the tool.
Effective rating scales use descriptors with clearly understood measures, such as
frequency. Scales that rely on subjective descriptors of quality, such as fair, good or
excellent, are less effective because the single adjective does not contain enough
information on what criteria are indicated at each of these points on the scale.

Added value

Increase the assessment value of a checklist or rating scale by adding two or

three additional steps that give students an opportunity to identify skills they would like
to improve or the skill they feel is most important. For example:
 • put a star beside the skill you think is the most important for encouraging others

• circle the skill you would most like to improve

• underline the skill that is the most challenging for you.

Rubrics

Use a set of criteria to evaluate a student's performance. They consist of a fixed

measurement scale and detailed description of the characteristics for each level of
performance. These descriptions focus on the quality of the product or performance
and not the quantity; e.g., not number of paragraphs, examples to support an idea,
spelling errors. Rubrics are commonly used to evaluate student performance with the
intention of including the result in a grade for reporting purposes. Rubrics can increase
the consistency and reliability of scoring.

Rubrics use a set of specific criteria to evaluate student performance. They may
be used to assess individuals or groups and, as with rating scales, may be compared
over time.

Developing Rubrics and Scoring Criteria

Rubrics are increasingly recognized as a way to both effectively assess student

learning and communicate expectations directly, clearly and concisely to students. The
inclusion of rubrics in a teaching resource provides opportunities to consider what
demonstrations of learning look like, and to describe stages in the development and
growth of knowledge, understandings and skills. To be most effective, rubrics should
allow students to see the progression of mastery in the development of understandings
and skills.

Rubrics should be constructed with input from students whenever possible. A

good start is to define what quality work looks like based on the learning outcomes.
Exemplars of achievement need to be used to demonstrate to students what an
excellent or acceptable performance is. This provides a collection of quality work for
students to use as reference points. Once the standard is established, it is easy to
define what exemplary levels and less-than-satisfactory levels of performance look like.
The best rubrics have three to five descriptive levels to allow for discrimination in the
evaluation of the product or task. Rubrics may be used for summative purposes to
gauge marks by assigning a score to each of the various levels.

When developing a rubric, consider the following:

• What are the specific outcomes in the task?

• Do the students have some experience with this or a similar task?

 • What does an excellent performance look like? What are the qualities that
distinguish an excellent response from other levels?

• What do other responses along the performance quality continuum look like?

• Is each description qualitatively different from the others? Are there an equal
number of descriptors at each level of quality? Are the differences clear and
understandable to students and others?

Begin by developing criteria to describe the Acceptable level. Then use Bloom's
taxonomy to identify differentiating criteria as you move up the scale. The criteria
should not go beyond the original performance task, but reflect higher order thinking
skills that students could demonstrate within the parameters of the initial task.

When developing the scoring criteria and quality levels of a rubric, consider the
following guidelines.

• Level 4 is the Standard of excellence level. Descriptions should indicate that all
aspects of work exceed grade level expectations and show exemplary
performance or understanding. This is a "Wow!"

• Level 3 is the Approaching standard of excellence level. Descriptions should

indicate some aspects of work that exceed grade level expectations and
demonstrate solid performance or understanding. This is a "Yes!"

• Level 2 is the Meets acceptable standard. This level should indicate minimal
competencies acceptable to meet grade level expectations. Performance and
understanding are emerging or developing but there are some errors and
mastery is not thorough. This is a "On the right track, but …".

• Level 1 Does not yet meet acceptable standard. This level indicates what is not
adequate for grade level expectations and indicates that the student has serious
errors, omissions or misconceptions. This is a "No, but …". The teacher needs to
make decisions about appropriate intervention to help the student improve.

Creating Rubrics with Students

Learning increases when students are actively involved in the assessment

process. Students do better when they know the goal, see models and know how their
performance compares to learning outcomes.

Learning outcomes are clarified when students assist in describing the criteria
used to evaluate performance. Use brainstorming and discussion to help students
analyze what each level looks like. Use student-friendly language and encourage
students to identify descriptors that are meaningful to them. For example, a Grade 3
class might describe levels of quality with phrases such as the following.

• Super!

• Going beyond

• Meets the mark

• Needs more work.

Use work samples to help students practice and analyze specific criteria for
developing a critical elements list. They can also use samples to practice assigning
performance levels and compare criteria from level to level.

Although rubrics are often used as assessment of learning tools, they can also be
used as assessment for learning tools. Students can benefit from using rubrics as they
become more competent at judging the quality of their work and examining their own
progress. Example:

• Involve students in the assessment process by having them participate in the

creation of a rubric. This process facilitates a deeper understanding of the
intended outcomes and the associated assessment criteria.

• After a rubric has been created, students can use it to guide their learning.
Criteria described in a rubric serve to focus student reflection on their work and
facilitate the setting of learning goals for a particular performance assessment.
Through self-assessment or peer-assessment, students can use a rubric to
assess work completed to date and use it to guide their planning for the "next
steps" in learning.

Portfolio

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work samples, student self-

assessments and goal statements that reflect student progress. Students generally
choose the work samples to place in the portfolio, but the teacher may also recommend
that specific work samples be included. Portfolios are powerful tools that allow students
to see their academic progress from grade to grade.

The physical structure of a portfolio refers to the actual arrangement of the work
samples, which can be organized according to chronology, subject area, style or goal
area. The conceptual structure refers to the teacher's goals for student learning. For
example, the teacher may have students complete a self-assessment on a work sample
and then set a goal for future learning. The work sample self-assessment and the goal
sheet may be added to the portfolio.

Work samples from all curricular areas can be selected and placed in a portfolio.
These can include stories, tests and reflections about work samples.

Effective portfolios:

• are updated regularly to keep them as current and complete as possible

• help students examine their progress

• help students develop a positive self-concept as learners

• are shared with parents or guardians

• are a planned, organized collection of student-selected work

• tell detailed stories about a variety of student outcomes that would otherwise be
difficult to document

• include self-assessments that describe the student as both a learner and an

individual

• serve as a guide for future learning by illustrating a student's present level of

achievement

• include a selection of items that are representative of curriculum outcomes, and

what the student knows and can do

• include the criteria against which the student work was evaluated

• support the assessment, evaluation and communication of student learning

• document learning in a variety of ways—process, product, growth and

achievement

• include a variety of works—audio recordings, video recordings, photographs,

graphic organizers, first drafts, journals and assignments that feature work from
all of the multiple intelligences.
Work samples not only provide reliable information about student achievement of
the curriculum, but also provide students with context for assessing their own work and
setting meaningful goals for learning. Displaying concrete samples of student work and
sharing assessments that illustrate grade level expectations of the outcomes are key to
winning the confidence and support of parents.
 Encourage students to provide evidence of their learning in their work products.
Have students include evidence of their learning, such as graphic organizers, journals,
solved problems that were challenging, problems that have been solved in multiple
ways, problems that the student has extended. Have them state where they see
evidence of strong product or performance. Periodically have students select a number
of pieces of work that they have analyzed for evidence of understanding and include
these work products in a portfolio that provides evidence of their learning over time.

An essential requirement of portfolios is that students include written reflections

that explain why each sample was selected. The power of the portfolio is derived from
the descriptions, reactions and metacognitive reflections that help students achieve
their goals. Conferencing with parents, peers and/or teachers helps synthesize learning
and celebrate successes. Some students become adept at writing descriptions and
personal reflections of their work without any prompts. For students who have difficulty
deciding what to write, sentence starters might be useful.

Tests

Tests will always be a part of assessment and evaluation, and like all other forms
of assessment, they should match the goals of your instruction. Tests can be designed
to find out what concepts students understand and how their ideas are connected.
Tests of procedural knowledge should go beyond just knowing how to perform an
algorithm and to require the student to demonstrate a conceptual basis for the process.
The following examples will illustrate these ideas.

If a test is well constructed, much more information can be gathered than simply
the number of correct or incorrect answers. The following considerations can help
maximize the value of your tests:

1. Permit students to use calculators. Except for tests of computational skills,

calculators allow students to focus on what you really want to test.

2. Use manipulatives and drawings. Students can use models to work on test
questions when those same models have been used during instruction to
develop concepts. Simple drawings can be used to represent counters, base-ten
pieces, fraction pieces, and the like. Be sure to provide examples in class of how
to draw the models before you ask students to draw on a test.
3. Include opportunities for explanations. Give students the time and space
to describe their thinking and their use of strategies.

4. Use open-ended questions. Tests in which questions have only one correct
answer tend to limit what you can learn about what the student has learned.
Another option is to consider quizzes that are done in collaboration with a peer.

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1. Answer the following:

1. Discuss the various goals of assessment in mathematics.

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Explain the difference between assessment of learning (summative
assessment) and assessment for learning (formative assessment). Give 2
examples of each.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. In what ways do the types of assessment described in this module
influence and interact with one another?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. Defend your position regarding this statement: Students’ work on tests
provides the most accurate assessment of their mathematical
understanding.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
5. Which assessment practices do you think provide the best evidence of
children’s understanding of mathematics? Explain why you like these
particular practices.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Activity 2. Explore

1. Examine a few end-of-chapter tests in various mathematics textbooks. How well

do the tests assess concepts and understanding? Mathematical processes and
practices?

2. Research studies have shown that testing students during the teaching process
enhances their learning of the subject. Devise experiments to evaluate the effectiveness
of tests during teaching. Examine the factors in test design that may not lead to
significant improvement in learning, and try to think of ways to avoid these pitfalls.
ASSESSMENT TASKS

I. TRUE-FALSE. Write TRUE, if the statement is true; FALSE, if it is false.

_________________1. Assessment provide teachers with information about what the

learners failed to understand and where the misconceptions lie.

_________________2. Teachers must use multiple assessments to draw conclusions

about students’ performance.

_________________3. Assessment serves as motivation to students.

_________________4. Anecdotal notes should be confidential, hence, it should not be

shared to students and parents.

_________________5. The information gathered from observation is used to enhance

future instruction.

_________________6. Questioning prevents learners’ active participation in class.

_________________7. Assessment tasks hamper learners to demonstrate their

knowledge, abilities and skills.

_________________8. During an interview, teachers should immediately slide into

teaching in order to fix misconceptions of learners. _________________9. Portfolios do
not support the assessment, evaluation and communication of student learning

________________10. Tests should always be a part of assessment and should match

the goals of instruction.

II. To what does each of the following brief descriptions refer?

_____________________1. Assessment for the purpose of giving grades at the end of

a marking term.

_____________________2. Assessment to determine the progress of teaching and

learning.

_____________________3. Assessment to help teachers make informed decision about

 the varied aspects of their day-to-day work.

_____________________4. Assessment that is used to document what learners know

and are able to do.

_____________________5. Assessment that incorporates interaction between the

teacher and learners as well as feedback particularly as

occurs within the learning experience.

_____________________6. Assessment tool used to record specific observations about

learner’s behaviors, skills and attitudes.

_____________________7. Tasks that are connected to actual problem solving

activities

used in instruction.

_____________________8. Tools in a yes/no format in relation to student

demonstration of specific criteria.

_____________________9. Tools that use a specific measurement scale and detailed

description of the characteristics for learners’ level of

performance.

____________________10. A purposeful collection of student work samples and goal

statement that reflect student progress.

REFERENCES:
AAMT (Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers) 2013.

AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching & School Leadership) (2014).

Airasian, Peter W. (2005). Classroom assessment: Concepts and applications. 5 th

Edition.

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
Callingham, R. (2010). ‘Mathematics assessment in primary classrooms: Making it
count’. Retrieved from www.research.acer.edu.au.

Navarro, Rosita L., Rosita G. Santos, and Brenda B. Corpuz (201).Assessment of

learning OBE & PPST-Based Fourth Edition. Lorimar Publishing, Inc., 10-B Boston
Street, Brgy. Kaunlaran, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) 2000.

Reys, R.E. et.al. (2017). Helping children learn mathematics. Second edition. John Wiley
& Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall Street, Milton, Qld 4064.

Van de Walle, John A., Karen S. Karp, and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams (2015). Elementary
and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally, Ninth Edition. Global
Edition. Pearson education Limited. Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE,
England.

ONLINE SOURCES:

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/index.html
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/types.html
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/purpose.html
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mewa/html/assessment/strategies.html

Prepared by:

NANET G. EUGENIO
Subject In-charge