Course Code: MM20

Course Title: Assessment and Evaluation in Mathematics

Notes

Authentic Mathematics Assessment.

There is a growing consensus among many educators that the fundamental

goals of teaching and learning mathematics are to help students solve problems of
everyday life, to help them participate intelligently in civic affairs, and to prepare them
for jobs, vocations, or professions. These goals suggest that school mathematics should
diminish the role of routine computation and focus instead on the conceptual insights
and analytical skills that are at the heart of mathematics. New tests are needed to track
progress in these areas

EMERGING IDEAS IN AUTHENTIC MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT

The new mathematics curriculum calls for an instructional setting which is very
different from the typical classroom settings of the past. This curriculum combines new
as well as traditional topics; mathematics is presented to students in the form of rich
situational problems that actively engage the students. The situational lessons or real-
life problems attempt to include four dimensions:
 thinking and reasoning--engaging in such activities as gathering data, exploring,
investigating, interpreting, reasoning, modeling, designing, analyzing,
formulating hypotheses, using trial and error, generalizing, and checking
solutions
 settings--working individually or in small groups
 mathematical tools--using symbols, tables, graphs, drawings, calculators,
computers, and manipulatives
 attitudes and dispositions--including persistence, self-regulation and reflection,
participation, and enthusiasm.

In short, students work to construct new knowledge that is integrated with their
prior knowledge. The role of the teacher is that of a facilitator. The learning helps
students acquire mathematical power to cope with ambiguity, to perceive patterns, and
to solve unconventional problems.

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 Traditionally, assessment has been derived from the curriculum; however,
assessment has not been part of a feedback loop linked to instruction. It is now widely
believed that assessment must be an integral part of teaching, so that it is used as a tool
not merely to collect data, but also to influence instruction. This requires developing
and implementing assessment tasks that measure students' productivity, their
performance on tasks that require mathematical thinking in pursuit of a result that has
meaning to the student. Because these tasks have essentially the same character as
instructional tasks, they also have meaning for teachers and, therefore, are useful for
improving instruction.
The new assessment tasks require students to formulate problems, devise
solutions, and interpret results. While multiple-choice test items can be used to check
students' knowledge of some concepts and some of their skills, other modes of
assessment may be better for evaluating students' products and their choices of
formulation or approach. This means that performance tasks should increasingly
become the basis for judging mathematical achievement required for success in the
technological world.

Six ways to use authentic assessment math in the classroom

Performance assessment
Students can demonstrate what they have learned and how to
solve problems through a collaborative effort in solving a complex problem
together. Not only do they learn how to work in a team, but also how to
brainstorm and utilize their separate grains of knowledge to benefit the
whole.

Short investigations
Typically, a short investigation starts with a basic math problem (or
can be adapted to any other school subject) in which the student can
demonstrate how he or she has mastered the basic concepts and skills.
As the teacher, ask the students to interpret, calculate, explain, describe
or predict whatever it is they are analyzing. These are generally 60- to-90
minute tasks for an individual (or group projects) on which to work
independently, writing answers to questions and then interviewed
separately.

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Open-response questions
A teacher can assess the student’s real-world understanding and
how the analytical processes relate by, in a quiz setting, requesting open
responses, like:

 a brief written or oral answer

 a mathematical solution
 a drawing
 a diagram, chart or graph

These open-ended questions can be approximately 15-minute

assessments and can be converted into a larger-scale project.

Portfolios
As students learn concepts throughout the school year, they can be
documented and will reveal progress and improvements as well as allow
for self-assessment, edits and revisions. They can be recorded in a
number of ways, including:

 journal writing
 review by peers
 artwork and diagrams
 group reports
 student notes and outlines
 rough drafts to finished work

Self-assessment
After the teacher has clearly explained and provided the
expectations prior to the project and then, once the projects are complete,
ask the students to evaluate their own projects and participation.
Responding to the following questions will help students learn to assess
themselves and their work objectively:

 What was the most difficult part of this project for you?
 What do you think you should do next?

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  If you could do this task again, would you do anything differently? If
yes, what?
 What did you learn from this project?

Multiple-choice questions
Usually, multiple-choice questions do not reflect an authentic
assessment math context. There are multiple-choice questions being
developed that reveal an understanding of the mathematical ideas
required as well as integrating more than one concept. These questions
are designed to take about 2 or 3 minutes each.

Exercises/Written Activities
Please visit the link provided below. List 5 authentic assessment that is applicable to
mathematics 8.
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/examples/examples_tasks_math.htm

Performance Tasks
Create 5 authentic assessment based on the given grade 7 1st quarter contents.

References:

Pandey, Tej. Authentic Mathematics Assessment.

https://www.ericdigests.org/1993/mathematics.htm

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