This document was created because of the need for new assessment strategies and practices to be developed to enable teachers and others to assess students' performance in a manner that reflects the NCTM's reform vision for school mathematics. Instead of assuming that the purpose of assessment is to rank students on a particular trait, the new approach assumes that high public expectations can be set that every student can strive for and achieve, that different performances can and will meet agreed-on expectations, and that teachers can be fair and consistent judges of diverse student performances. The first sections of the document discuss six mathematics assessment standards: (1) The Mathematics Standard, (2) The Learning Standard, (3) The Equity Standard, (4) The Openness Standard, (5) The Inferences Standard, and (6) The Coherence Standard. The use of the assessment standards is then discussed in the context of different purposes such as monitoring students' progress, making instructional decisions, evaluating students' achievement, and evaluating programs. The next section discusses what should happen next with regard to mathematical assessment. The document concludes with a glossary and a selected assessment bibliography with 116 citations. Contains 28 references. (MKR)

This easy-to-read summary is an excellent tool for introducing others to the messages contained in Principles and Standards.

It describes each strategy and clarifies its advantages and drawbacks. Also included is a large sample of classroom-tested examples along with sample student responses. These examples can be used "as is" - or you can customize them for your own class. This book will help prepare your students for standardized tests that include items requiring evidence of conceptual understanding. The strategies reflect the assessment Standards benchmarks established by the NCTM. In addition, an entire chapter is devoted to help teachers use these assessments to arrive at their students' grades.

Linking assessment to everday classroom instruction requires a shift in both thinking and practise. For many, the term assessment simply means grade. Using Classroom Assessment to Improve Student Learning shows how teachers can move away from using tests, letter or numerical grades or passing or failing as evidence of student learning to creating a rich classroom environment that is conducive to effective formative assessment.

Authorized Teacher resource for Mathematics, K-12 in Alberta. 1991-2001.

Are current testing practices consistent with the goals of the reform movement in school mathematics? If not, what are the alternatives? How can authentic performance in mathematics be assessed? These and similar questions about tests and their uses have forced those advocating change to examine the way in which mathematical performance data is gathered and used in American schools. This book provides recent views on the issues surrounding mathematics tests, such as the need for valid performance data, the implications of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics for test development, the identification of valid items and tests in terms of the Standards, the procedures now being used to construct a sample of state assessment tests, gender differences in test taking, and methods of reporting student achievement.

This volume takes an in-depth look at the problems and practices involved in conducting formative assessments in middle school mathematics classrooms. In these chapters, researchers and teachers identify the challenges teachers faced as they attempted to implement new assessment procedures, moving from more traditional methods to an emphasis in the quality of student work. This authoritative book: Documents the shift from traditional ways of judging student performance (tests to measure what students know) to reform notions of mathematical literacy (documenting students' growth in understanding specific content domains); Discusses four key steps in the change process that helped teachers to accomplish the necessary shift in assessment practices. Includes two chapters written by teachers that describe their personal experiences with implementing these new practices in the classroom and outlines a professional development program that evolved as a consequence of the work done by the teachers and students discussed in this book.

This text offers guidance to teachers, mathematics coaches, administrators, parents, and policymakers. This book: provides a research-based description of eight essential mathematics teaching practices ; describes the conditions, structures, and policies that must support the teaching practices ; builds on NCTM's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and supports implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics to attain much higher levels of mathematics achievement for all students ; identifies obstacles, unproductive and productive beliefs, and key actions that must be understood, acknowledged, and addressed by all stakeholders ; encourages teachers of mathematics to engage students in mathematical thinking, reasoning, and sense making to significantly strengthen teaching and learning.

Early childhood mathematics is vitally important for young children's present and future educational success. Research demonstrates that virtually all young children have the capability to learn and become competent in mathematics. Furthermore, young children enjoy their early informal experiences with mathematics. Unfortunately, many children's potential in mathematics is not fully realized, especially those children who are economically disadvantaged. This is due, in part, to a lack of opportunities to learn mathematics in early childhood settings or through everyday experiences in the home and in their communities. Improvements in early childhood mathematics education can provide young children with the foundation for school success. Relying on a comprehensive review of the research, Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood lays out the critical areas that should be the focus of young children's early mathematics education, explores the extent to which they are currently being incorporated in early childhood settings, and identifies the changes needed to improve the quality of mathematics experiences for young children. This book serves as a call to action to improve the state of early childhood mathematics. It will be especially useful for policy makers and practitioners-those who work directly with children and their families in shaping the policies that affect the education of young children.