What does Assessment mean to
you?
Some Thoughts!
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Evaluation
Measurement
Classroom behavior
Achievement
Test
Quizzes
Grades
Pass/Fail
Accountability
High Stakes
Observations
Diagnosis
Portfolio
Homework
Standardized tests
What does Assessment mean to
your students?
 Tests
 Quizzes
 CMTs
 CAPT
 SATs
Building Assessment into
Instruction… Purpose of
Assessment
 Monitoring your teaching or instruction to make
instructional decisions
 Monitoring student progress or to promote growth
 Evaluating student achievement
 Evaluating a mathematics program such as CMTs,
CAPT, etc.
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Student Assessments
 Can be formal or informal but
 the objective is always the same, that is to gather
information about how students are performing…
 You will be data informed…if you do this
 Assessments are formative or summative…
How do these assessments affect
the students’ grade?
 Traditionally most likely only test and quizzes count in
the grade and perhaps a random check of homework
What Should Be Assessed?
 Concepts
 Processes
 Dispositions
 Procedures
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Mathematical Concepts or Big
Ideas
 A good assessment strategy will provide
opportunities for students to demonstrate how
they themselves understand the concepts in each
content area under discussion………..
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Algebra
Numbers and Operations
Geometry
Measurement
Data Analysis and Probability
Some good
examples…Measurement
 Sheila emptied her piggy bank, wrapped her coins, and
put them in a bag to go to the bank. The bag weighed
20 pounds. How much money do you think Sheila had
in coins?
 You write on paper every day in school. If you were to
box up all of the pieces of paper you’ve used since
entering school, what fraction of the room do you
think the boxes would fill?
 A ball of dough is rolled out into a circle with a 12 inch
diameter. How many cookies with a diameter of 2.5
inches can be made from this dough?
Mathematical Processes
 Problem Solving
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Student works at understanding a problem before beginning work
Student uses drawings, graphs, and physical models to help solve problems
Assesses the validity of answers –”makes sense”
 Reasoning and Proof
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Student justifies solutions
 Communication
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Student can explain their ideas in writing
Student communicates their ideas clearly in class discussions
 Connections
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Students can show purpose of activity
 Representation
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Student can show multiple solutions
Mathematical Dispositions
 Important to occasionally collect data on students’
confidence and beliefs in their own mathematical
abilities as well as likes and dislikes about
mathematics
 Perhaps, a math autobiography or self assessment
Mathematics Procedures
 Procedural knowledge including skill
proficiency…For example, a student may be able to
find a common denominator to add fractions but may
have no idea why ?
 They may have mastered the “rules” but cannot
connect to meaning
 If you change the “rules” then they cannot “do”
because they have no conceptual understanding
How should Assessments be done?
Test or Quiz
 What is the purpose of the test or quiz?
 Pretest or Posttest?
 Test or Quiz Construction
 Preparing items
 Ensuring Validity and Reliability
 Scoring Student Work
 Including Review Items
 Limitations to written tests or quizzes
Alternative or Authentic
Assessment?
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Journals
Open-ended Questions and Rubrics
Individual and Team Projects
Observations and Check Lists
Interviews
Self Assessment
Portfolios
Web Quest
Paper on history of ?
 Any other thoughts?
Alternate Assessment
 Assess student understanding by promoting student
discussion
 How are students involved in the lesson activity?
 How successful are they?
 Include presentations and require that all students
participate
 Ensure that all students take an active part in the
presentation
Alternate Assessment
 Involve students in the development of rubrics
 Interview your students
 Make writing about math a routine not a special
occasion
 Find a way for your students to communicate math
outside of class
 Assign self assessments for students to monitor their
progress
Rubrics
 A rubric is a framework that can be designed or
adapted by the teacher for a particular group of
students or a particular mathematical task (Kulm,
1994).
 http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html
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Assessment vs. Testing
 1. How is assessment different than testing?
 2. What are at least four purposes of assessment?
 3. How can a learning task or problem be an
assessment task?
 4. What is the difference between formative and
summative assessment?
 5. What is authentic or alternate assessment? Provide
some examples………
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