These assessment pointers are for judging standards of a child’s performance in Pre-primary
Mathematics. They are examples of what children may demonstrate rather than being a checklist of
everything they should do. For reporting, they are used to make on balance judgments about
achievement that will depend on what has been taught and assessed during the reporting period.
They can also be used for guiding the pitch of assessment tasks, developing marking keys and
informing assessment feedback.
Judging standARDs in PRE-PRIMARY
MATHEMATICS
Reporting against the Achievement Standard
PRE-PRIMARY mathematics Achievement Standard
By the end of the Pre-primary year, children make connections between number names, numerals and quantities up to 10. They compare objects using mass, length and
capacity. Children connect events and the days of the week. They explain the order and duration of events. They use appropriate language to describe location.
Children count to and from 20 and order small collections. They group objects based on common characteristics and sort shapes and objects. Children answer simple questions
to collect information.
PRE-PRIMARY mathematics Assessment pointers
Number and Algebra
The child demonstrates
excellent achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
high achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
satisfactory achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
limited achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
very low achievement of what
is expected for this year level
Counts to and from more than
20. Subitises, compares, and
orders small collections.
Counts numbers from any
starting point to and from 20.
Compares and orders small
collections.
Counts numbers to and from 20.
Orders small collections.
Counts numbers to 10.
Creates small collections.
Identifies some numbers.
Connects a number name with
numerals and quantities and
partitions to more than 10,
including zero. Models addition
and sharing. Indicates ordinal
position in a sequence.
Connects a number name with
numerals and quantities to at
least 10. Models addition.
Connects a number name with
numerals and quantities up to
10.
Uses concrete materials to
model numbers less than 10.
Matches some number names
with numerals.
Groups objects and drawings
based on common
characteristics, and creates own
patterns.
Groups objects and drawings
based on common
characteristics, and copies or
continues patterns.
Groups objects based on
common characteristics, e.g.
child selects characteristics.
Groups objects based on given
characteristics, e.g. teacher
selects characteristics.
Requires guidance to identify
characteristics on which objects
could be grouped.
2013/37248v6 [PDF: 2013/37662] Published: 21 July, 2014
Measurement and
Geometry
Statistics and Probability
The child demonstrates
excellent achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
high achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
satisfactory achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
limited achievement of what
is expected for this year level
The child demonstrates
very low achievement of what
is expected for this year level
Uses direct and indirect
comparisons to order objects by
length, mass and capacity and
uses everyday language to
explain results, e.g. shortest or
longest, lightest or heaviest,
holds more or less.
Uses direct and indirect
comparisons to order objects by
length, mass and capacity.
Compares length, mass and
capacity.
Correctly compares objects only
when their differences are
obvious.
Identifies objects as ‘big’ or
‘little’, but does not make
comparisons.
Names and orders the days of
the week and identifies the
relationship between yesterday,
today and tomorrow. Provides
details of familiar events
occurring on specific days of the
week. Sequences events and
uses the everyday language of
time when explaining and
comparing duration.
Names and orders the days of
the week, connecting familiar
events to specific days.
Sequences events and compares
duration, e.g. it takes longer to
walk to school than it does to
drive in the car.
Connects events and the days of
the week. Orders familiar
everyday events, using their
start and finish points to explain
duration, e.g. short time or long
time.
Connects some events with days
of the week. Orders some
familiar everyday events.
Names some days of the week
and, with prompting, identifies
some familiar everyday events.
Sorts, names and describes
familiar two-dimensional shapes
and three-dimensional objects.
Sorts and names familiar twodimensional shapes and threedimensional objects.
Sorts familiar two-dimensional
shapes and three-dimensional
objects.
Sorts familiar two-dimensional
shapes.
Requires prompting to sort
familiar two-dimensional
shapes.
Gives and follows simple
instructions, using the language
of location and direction, to
describe position and
movement.
Follows simple instructions using
the language of location and
direction, e.g. goes towards,
stands next to, climbs over.
Uses appropriate language to
describe location, e.g. between,
on, under.
Responds to simple positional
language, e.g. in, out, up and
down.
Requires prompting to respond
to simple positional language.
Asks own simple questions to
collect information and displays
data.
Responds to simple questions to
collect information and
completes data displays, e.g.
contributes to a class data
display by drawing own
favourite fruit.
Responds to simple questions to
collect information, e.g. do you
like bananas?
With prompting, provides
relevant responses to simple
questions to collect information.
Does not provide relevant
responses to simple questions to
collect information.