The Role of Assessment

The underlying philosophy of the NumberSense Mathematics Programme is that we want children to experience mathematics as a sense-making, problem-solving activity. Furthermore, the programme is designed to develop knowledge with understanding, that children can apply in unfamiliar situations, all the while being able to reason about what they are doing.

Assessment of children using the NumberSense Mathematics Programme should be aligned with these aims. This should be reflected in the use of appropriate assessment tasks and in the nature of the items (questions) in the tasks.

Recognising that giving no education is better than giving it at the wrong time (Piaget, 1953), an important role of assessment is for teachers to gather information. This information should then be used to make teaching decisions that improve learning. While assessment also serves the role of measuring and reporting on children’s achievement at the end of a unit of work to inform decisions about promotion etc., the key role of assessment in the NumberSense Programme is for teachers and children to get feedback on learning.

To read further, download the Assessment chapter of the Teacher Guide (first draft).