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Frequently Asked Questions
about the K-2 Mathematics
Assessments
Denise Schulz & Kitty Rutherford
NC Department of Public Instruction
What is the policy regarding
the administration of the K-2
Math Assessments?
K-2 State Assessment Requirements
State Statute (115C-174.11):
(a) Assessment Instruments for First and Second Grades. – The
State Board of Education shall adopt and provide to the local
school administrative units developmentally appropriate
individualized assessment instruments consistent with the Basic
Education Program for the first and second grades, rather than
standardized tests. Local school administrative units may use these
assessment instruments provided to them by the State Board for first
and second grade students, and shall not use standardized tests
except as required as a condition of receiving federal grants.
State Board Policy
The State Board of Education requires
schools and school districts implement
assessments at grades K, 1, and 2 that
include documented, on-going
individualized assessments throughout
the year and a summative evaluation at
the end of the year.
GCS-C-016, 2/4/1999
Intended Purposes
• to provide information about the progress of each
student for instructional adaptations and early
interventions
• to provide next-year teachers with information about
the status of each of their incoming students
• to inform parents about the status of their children
relative to grade-level standards at the end of the year
• to provide the school and school district information
about the achievement status and progress of groups of
students (e.g., by school and grade level) in grades K, 1,
and 2
GCS-C-016, 2/4/1999
Is it required to use the State
Assessment, or can our
district write our own?
State developed assessments may
be used as presented or adapted by
a district to best meet student needs
and district requirements.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Assessments that may be used:
• State developed materials
• Adaptations of state developed materials
• Unique assessments adopted by the local
school board
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
How are the state assessments
developed?
Mid-Year Timeline
June
July
August
Aug./Sept
Sept
Sept/Oct
• Teachers and curriculum leaders meet in Raleigh to write
assessments
• Drafts are formatted and edited
• Edited drafts are sent out for vetting to districts in each region
• Committee meets to review all feedback regarding assessment tasks
and rubrics; make changes as needed
• Assessments are field tested with students; make changes as needed
• Assessments are posted
Who Was Involved?
• Writers
• Onslow County, Craven County, Buncombe County,
Wake County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg
• Jeane Joyner, Meredith College
• Vetting Teams
• Alexander County, Beaufort County, Cleveland County,
Franklin County, Haywood County, Henderson County,
Nash-Rocky Mount, Winston-Salem/Forysth County
• Dr. Drew Polly, UNC-Charlotte
Summative Timeline
June
October
December
Early Jan.
Jan
End Jan
• Teachers and curriculum leaders meet in Raleigh to write
assessments
• Drafts are formatted and edited
• Edited drafts are sent out for vetting to districts in each region
• Committee meets to review all feedback regarding assessment tasks
and rubrics; make changes as needed
• Assessments are field tested with students; changes are made as
needed
• Assessments are posted
Mid-Year Formative
Assessment
How has the assessment changed?
Proficiency Rubric
• Meets Standard
• Shows proficiency and full understanding of the concept assessed
• Demonstrate conceptual understanding and flexibility in problem
solving
• Progressing
• Demonstrate an inconsistent understanding of the standards
• May accurately complete the majority of a task, but not the task
in its entirety
• Not Yet
• Show minimal understanding of the standard assessed
• Conceptual understanding still needs to be developed
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Beyond the Answer
When scoring each student’s response, the
teacher needs to pay particular attention to
what the student does and does not understand.
Both are equally important in determining the
next instructional steps.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Looking at Mistakes
• Look beyond whether an item’s answer is correct or
incorrect by looking carefully at the types of
mistakes that were made.
• Some mistakes come from a lack of information.
• At other times, mistakes reflect a lack of
understanding. There is logic behind students’
answers.
• Look for the reasons for the responses and identify
any misconceptions that may exist.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
This student is exactly one inch off in
each measurement.
When asked to explain how she
measured the ribbons, she explained that
you should start at the one on the ruler.
Having her explain her incorrect answers
gives us insight into what she knows and
doesn’t know about measurement, so
instructional decisions can be made
about where to take her next.
Next Steps-Instructional Moves
• Suggestions of instructional steps for
each level of the rubric
• Tool to determine student
understanding
• Not an exhaustive list of strategies
• Teachers should use professional
judgment when making instructional
decisions about their students
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Do I have to give the
assessment all at once,
with all of the tasks in order?
Task Sequence
• Tasks can be administered in a sequence that best fits the
learning environment.
• Tasks do not have to be given in booklet forms. They can be
given one at a time.
• Tasks do not need to be administered in the order presented.
• District leader(s) may decide a particular order for
assessment administration or the decision may be left to the
individual teacher.
• Some tasks may have multiple parts that will need to be
administered together.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
This task has two related parts.
Students are measuring the caterpillars
and then creating a line plot. It may
benefit students to do both parts of the
task at the same time.
Part 1 of 2: Sort and Count
Part 2 of 2: Compare Groups
Assessment Timing
• As during daily instruction, students
should have a relaxed atmosphere in
which to do the tasks.
• This assessment is not timed.
• Students should have as much time
as needed, within reason.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Tasks in the mathematics
assessment are designed to mirror
tasks and assessment items that
students should be experiencing
throughout the year.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Can the assessment
be read aloud?
• Every student is eligible for read-aloud on the
K-2 Mathematics Assessment.
• The teacher may read aloud all directions
and all questions to the students.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
• If a student(s) asks for clarification, the teacher may reread
the directions and questions aloud as often as needed or may
substitute a familiar word for an unfamiliar word.
• The structure of a problem or task should not be changed if
using word substitution.
• The teacher should not interpret the problem structure for
students.
• Examples:
• Change fewer to less
• Change equation to number sentence
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Is the assessment given
individually or as a whole
group?
Administration Models
• Whole Class
• Small Group
• Individual
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Whole Class
• The teacher may read the directions for each task aloud
to the entire class and all students complete the same
items in their student booklet at the same time.
• Consider varying abilities of students and select items
that are likely to be answered in the same amount of
time.
• Ensure there is an adequate
supply of counters or cubes for
each student.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Small Group
• The teacher may read the directions for each task
aloud to a small group of students.
• A small group of students complete the same items
in their student booklet at the same time.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Individual
• Depending on the students’ needs, the
teacher may opt to read the directions for
each task aloud to one student.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
May students use tools during
the assessment?
• Students may use tools to solve problems (except
during mental math exercises).
• Some tools are suggested in the manual, but
other tools may be used.
• For example, if students use Hundreds Boards
in the classroom when problem solving, it is
acceptable to use the Hundreds Board during
the assessment.
What should the teacher be
doing during the assessment?
• The teacher is encouraged to find out as much as
possible about what students are thinking and
how they go about working on tasks.
• While circulating, the teacher asks the students
questions to gain insight into their
understanding and makes notes about students’
responses.
• The teacher may not coach or instruct a student
on how to answer a question.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
What should the teacher do?
Count this answer incorrect
because it’s not mathematically
correct.
OR
Ask the student to give another
description in math language and
ask other probing questions to
determine if the student
understands partitioning.
What should the teacher do?
A. Accept the answer as is and make
an assumption about student
understanding?
B. Ask the student to explain his/her
thinking when using the number
line.
The Student
Summary Sheet is
used to take notes
on individual
students to share at
conferences, and to
plan instruction.
K-2 Student Booklet
What if a student writes a
solution equation and not an
equation that matches the
situation?
Situation equation:
+ 7 = 24
Solution equation 24 – 7 =
How do I score the
assessment?
Proficiency Rubrics
• Used to determine proficiency in
performance and understanding for each task
or collection of tasks
• Rubrics are located in the Student
Assessment in Kindergarten, and in the
Administration Manual for 1st and 2nd grade
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Sample
Proficiency
Rubric
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
How do I determine a
student’s overall
mathematical proficiency?
What Does Proficient Mean?
• When students are proficient with a
particular standard/cluster, then they:
• can model and explain the concepts,
• use the mathematics appropriately &
accurately, and
• are fluent and comfortable in applying
mathematics.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
A benchmark assessment is like a snapshot- it
provides a picture of a student’s performance at
one point in time. This snapshot is combined
with other “pictures” to create a comprehensive
photo album of a student’s mathematics
performance (Joyner, 2012).
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Determining
Mathematical Proficiency
• This assessment is not intended to provide a
complete picture of a student’s mathematics
understandings.
• Combined with additional documentation, teachers
will be able to make inferences about student
achievement and support each student’s development
as a competent mathematician.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
• This assessment addresses student levels of proficiency
for each standard, but does not address whether a
student performs above the proficient level.
• There will be situations where a student may show a
greater depth of understanding or more complex
thinking than is addressed on the proficiency rubrics.
• Teachers should use their professional judgment in
determining whether a student has shown performance
and understanding of mathematical concepts above the
level of proficient.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
When determining
overall student
proficiency levels, this
assessment should be
combined with additional
documentation such as
student products,
formative assessment
tasks, checklists, notes,
and other anecdotal
information.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
How do I use the
student data?
The Student
Summary Sheet is
used to take notes
on individual
students to share at
conferences, and to
plan instruction.
K-2 Student Booklet
The Class Summary
is used to compile all
students’ proficiency
levels with each task
or collection of tasks
for instructional
groupings and
planning.
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Next Steps-Instructional Moves
• Suggestions of instructional steps for
each level of the rubric
• Tool to determine student
understanding
• Not an exhaustive list of strategies
• Teachers should use professional
judgment when making instructional
decisions about their students
K-2 Administration and Scoring Guide
Additional Questions
Accessing the Webinar
• The webinar will be posted on the wiki
• Use the navigation bar to go to PD and
Webinars
• Click Elementary Webinars
• http://maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Elem
entary+Webinars
Contact Information
Denise Schulz
denise.schulz@dpi.nc.gov
Kitty Rutherford
kitty.rutherford@dpi.nc.gov
Website:
maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
For all you do for our students!