Special Children: Special Education
Math
Math Assessment
There are many types of math assessments. Informally, many teachers design their own math tests to determine how their students are performing in areas related to the classroom curriculum. A teacher may design a test each week to measure her students' recall or recognition of basic fact. You may have heard your child talk about a math-minute or Around the World, a flashcard game, both which quickly assess a student's progress in math skills. Or a teacher may use a math skills worksheet or design a test to measure her students' ability to accurately calculate the answer to a four-digit subtraction problem with regrouping using the rules they were taught in class.
There are also many criterion-referenced tests designed to measure students' attainment of various math skills. For example, a first grade teacher may use a criterion-referenced test to measure her students' knowledge of the basic addition or subtraction. She likely administers this test a few times over the course of the school year to measure her students' progress learning the basic facts with automaticity.
More formal instruments called norm-referenced tests are used to measure students' progress compared to other students across the nation in their grade and at their age level on various academic tasks and skills in math. For example, a third grader may be asked to complete several math problems of various kinds including word problems which are determined to be appropriate for students in third grade. If the child is able to accurately complete all the problems, she is performing at her grade level on this math test.
There are many types of math assessments. Informally, many teachers design their own math tests to determine how their students are performing in areas related to the classroom curriculum. A teacher may design a test each week to measure her students' recall or recognition of basic fact. You may have heard your child talk about a math-minute or Around the World, a flashcard game, both which quickly assess a student's progress in math skills. Or a teacher may use a math skills worksheet or design a test to measure her students' ability to accurately calculate the answer to a four-digit subtraction problem with regrouping using the rules they were taught in class.
There are also many criterion-referenced tests designed to measure students' attainment of various math skills. For example, a first grade teacher may use a criterion-referenced test to measure her students' knowledge of the basic addition or subtraction. She likely administers this test a few times over the course of the school year to measure her students' progress learning the basic facts with automaticity.
More formal instruments called norm-referenced tests are used to measure students' progress compared to other students across the nation in their grade and at their age level on various academic tasks and skills in math. For example, a third grader may be asked to complete several math problems of various kinds including word problems which are determined to be appropriate for students in third grade. If the child is able to accurately complete all the problems, she is performing at her grade level on this math test.
Examples of the various kinds of math tests are listed below.
Informal Tests in Math:
Curriculum-based measures by Aimsweb and Dibels
Criterion-referenced tests in reading:
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised (CIBS-R) by Curriculum Associates
Norm-referenced tests in reading:
KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment by Pearson
Test of Early Math Ability 3 by Western Psychological Services WPS (TEMA-3)
Test of Mathematical Abilities-2 (TOMA-2) by PRO-ED
Individual Achievement Test Batteries which include reading assessments:
Woodcock-Johnson-III (WJ-III) Battery by Riverside Publishing
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) by Pearson
Informal Tests in Math:
Curriculum-based measures by Aimsweb and Dibels
Criterion-referenced tests in reading:
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised (CIBS-R) by Curriculum Associates
Norm-referenced tests in reading:
KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment by Pearson
Test of Early Math Ability 3 by Western Psychological Services WPS (TEMA-3)
Test of Mathematical Abilities-2 (TOMA-2) by PRO-ED
Individual Achievement Test Batteries which include reading assessments:
Woodcock-Johnson-III (WJ-III) Battery by Riverside Publishing
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) by Pearson
