Looking for math testing ideas...

have you used Key Math? This is an individual math achievement test. It really gives you lots of information about grade level plus it also has lots of info about different math skills besides computation such as problem solving, time, money , measurement, place value etc.The only real disadvantage is the amount of time it can take to give. You have to be a pretty good judge of their present level otherwise you might do a lot of the test you don’t need. It is still one of the best math assessments around.

Thanks, but I’m looking for a criterion-referenced test so that I can give it every quarter/grading period to demonstrate progress toward goals/objectives. Other ideas?

Susan:

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Some math series have pretests at the beginning of the books. Perhaps, you can administer the pretest, or sections that covered the material taught that quarter. The Spectrum math workbooks have skill reviews and chapter tests. These can be purchased at major bookstores. I’ve found these very helpful for drills and tests. One thing that I really like about these is that there are accompanying word problems that go with each math operation.

I know that this isn’t exactly what you are looking for, but I’ve never seen math criterion tests that can be compared to the many tests that you can find for reading—IRIs.

Marilyn

Marilyn,

While it’s not exactly what I was looking for, it may be all I can find…and I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Thanks for the idea!

Susan

I find it preferable to make up my own criterion-referenced measures. Each is keyed to the IEP goal or objective. I tend NOT to write my goals/objectives in grade equivalent terms, rather I write them in terms of the behaviors I am looking for, so writing the “test” to assess precisely what I am looking for permits me to measure growth more specifically, I think.

I have made visits to the teacher supply store and purchased specific materials for specific areas: place value, multiplication, etc. When these materials have built in assessments, I find them often useful. However, sometimes writing my own are better because I can hone in on EXACTLY what I want to test. I have also used things like: pretests, post-tests or chapter tests from published series and practice tests for standardized achievement tests to give parents and myself an idea of generally what is happening. The latter are more diagnostic and can give me better ideas of what I may need to cover. I have generally purchased SAT 9 practice test materials for several grade levels. I choose the grade level that most closely approximates the level the child is working on.

If you give criterion referenced tests, either your own versions or purchased, on a periodic basis to measure progress toward goals, then give a standardized test like Key Math annually in preparation for the annual review, you should have plenty of data on progress.