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Unpacking assessment in Maths Trek

Maths Trek 20/2/24

Compiling a comprehensive portfolio to evaluate student achievement throughout the year is made easier with Maths Trek assessment.

Find out how assessment is embedded and develops across Foundation, Years 1–2 and Years 3–6, or scroll down to find your year level.

Tip: If you already have access to Maths Trek, we recommend you log in and navigate to your year level. Select the Assessment/Assessment Resources link on the right-hand side menu for an overview of assessment and links to all relevant assessment items.

Foundation

In Foundation you will assess topics and investigations throughout the year using the Semester Tests and Progress Checklists.

Semester Tests

The Semester Tests are summative and assess a student’s understanding of the preceding topics. You’ll conduct one test in mid term 2 and one in mid term 4. Each test contains ‘at level’ and ‘above level’ questions.

We recommend you conduct each test over two or more sessions. You may choose to read the questions to the whole class, small groups or individuals, depending on your students’ abilities. Students will write their answers on the test paper.

When it’s time to mark, you’ll find a handy Marking Guide at Maths Trek Online to help you.

A note on Semester Tests: By the end of the year, the two Semester Tests will have addressed all key areas of the achievement standard for your Foundation students.

Progress Checklists

The formative Progress Checklists help you track student achievement in topics and investigations each term. We recommend you print a copy for each student for your records at the start of each term and keep them handy when observing, supporting or marking student work.

The Progress Checklists are quick and easy to use in busy classrooms. For topics, simply tick the boxes to indicate whether a student is ‘below’, ‘at’ or ‘above’ level for each key concept. Use the space provided to jot down any comments or observations.

For investigations, tick the boxes to indicate whether a student is able to apply content and reflect, reason and communicate their understanding of what they have discovered. There’s also space to jot down comments or observations.

When it’s reporting time, refer to the Progress Checklists and Semester Tests to help inform overall student achievement in mathematics.

Years 1–2

In Years 1–2 you will assess student achievement in topics, investigations and problem-solving throughout the year using embedded summative and formative assessments.

Assessing topics

Topic assessments are summative and assess a student’s understanding of the preceding topics. Each term you’ll conduct a topic assessment in week 5 or week 6.

Each assessment contains 20 graded questions:

Q. 1–12	C-level questions
Q. 13–18	B-level questions
Q. 19–20	A-level questions

We recommend you conduct each assessment in two sessions. You may choose to read the questions to the whole class, small groups or individuals, depending on your students’ abilities.

When it’s time to mark, you’ll find a handy Marking Guide at Maths Trek Online to help you.

A note on topic assessments: By the end of the year, the four assessments will have addressed all key areas of the achievement standard for your students.

Assessing investigations

Students complete four investigations – one per term. These investigations provide students with opportunities to apply maths concepts learned in previous weeks to unfamiliar, extended mathematical problems.

The Share and discuss results step in each investigation is a teacher-led discussion that provides you with an opportunity to assess how well your students are able to reflect, reason and communicate their understanding of what they have discovered.

To help you get the most out of this formative assessment, Maths Trek provides bespoke critical thinking questions to ask students. An assessment checklist is also provided. Print a copy for each student at the start of the investigation and tick the boxes to record a student’s:

• understanding of the key maths concepts covered in the investigation
• ability to think critically
• ability to work collaboratively.

There’s also space to record any comments or observations.

A note on investigations: In Years 1–2 there are two extra investigations. These investigations are optional, but include an assessment checklist if you wish to add this work to a student’s portfolio.

Assessing problem-solving

Throughout the year, students complete five problem-solving practice tasks. These tasks help students practise the strategies they have learned in the preceding weeks and provide you with a formative assessment opportunity.

Each practice task includes two problems that assess a student’s ability to:

• interpret a problem
• identify and use problem-solving strategies
• write a logical sequence of working to find a solution.

While designed to be completed independently, you may choose to support students in unpacking the problems. After completing each problem, encourage students to share their solutions and explain how they used their chosen strategies. Use the dedicated Think critically section to prompt discussion.

A Problem-Solving Progress Checklist is provided to help you track each student’s progress. Print a copy for each student for your records at the start of the year. Tick the boxes to show completion of the tasks and jot down any comments in the space provided.

At reporting time, refer to the investigation and problem-solving checklists in conjunction with the topic assessments to help inform overall student achievement in mathematics.

Years 3–6

In Years 3–6 you will use the embedded summative and formative assessments to track student achievement in topics, investigations and problem-solving throughout the year.

Assessing topics

Topic assessments are summative and assess a student’s understanding of the preceding topics. Each term you’ll conduct a topic assessment in week 5 or 6.

The assessment contains 40 graded questions:

Q. 1–24	C-level questions
Q. 25–36	B-level questions
Q. 37–40	A-level questions

We recommend that students complete the assessment independently in a single 45-minute session.

When it’s time to mark, you’ll find a handy Marking Guide at Maths Trek Online to help you.

A note on topic assessments: By the end of the year, the four assessments will have addressed all the key areas of the achievement standard for your students.

Assessing investigations

Students will complete eight investigations – two per term. These investigations provide students with opportunities to apply maths concepts learned in previous weeks to unfamiliar, extended mathematical problems.

The Critical thinking step in each investigation is a teacher-led discussion that provides you with an opportunity to assess how well your students are able to reflect, reason and communicate their understanding of what they have discovered.

To help you get the most out of this formative assessment, Maths Trek provides bespoke critical thinking questions to ask students. An assessment checklist is also provided. Print a copy for each student at the start of the investigation and tick the boxes to record a student’s:

• understanding of the key maths concepts covered in the investigation
• ability to think critically
• ability to work collaboratively.

There’s also space to record any comments or observations.

A note on investigations: In Years 3–6 there are four extra investigations. These investigations are optional, but include an assessment checklist if you wish to add this work to a student’s portfolio.

Assessing problem-solving

Students will complete five problem-solving practice tasks across terms 3 and 4. These tasks help students practise the strategies they have learned in terms 1 and 2 and provide you with a formative assessment opportunity.

Each practice task includes two problems that assess a student’s ability to:

• interpret a problem
• identify and use problem-solving strategies
• write a logical sequence of working to find a solution.

While designed to be completed independently, you may choose to support students in unpacking the problems. After completing each problem, encourage students to share their solutions and explain how they used their chosen strategies. Use the dedicated Think critically section to prompt discussion.

A Problem-Solving Progress Checklist is provided to help you track each student’s progress. Print a copy for each student for your records at the start of the year. Tick the boxes to show completion of the tasks and jot down any comments in the space provided.

At reporting time, refer to the investigations and problem-solving checklists in conjunction with the topic assessments to help inform overall student achievement in mathematics.

A note on revision: Revision activities are provided throughout the Student Book. These are ‘at level’ questions designed to consolidate a student’s understanding of the concepts taught in the preceding topics. Revision activities are not a test and should not be used for assessment.

Maths Trek’s embedded assessment has been carefully planned to support you in assessing your students’ overall achievement in mathematics and provides you with ample time for end-of-term reporting.

So there you have it, Maths Trek’s comprehensive approach to assessment!

There’s so much more to discover with Maths Trek. If you haven’t already started a free trial of Maths Trek, sign up today to explore all the other features like topic lessons, investigations, problem-solving lessons, critical thinking lessons and more!

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