• Version
• Download 110
• File Size 235.49 KB
• File Count 1
• Create Date August 2, 2018
• Last Updated August 2, 2018

What is a good maths assessment?

Maths assessment in its current form poses a dilemma for test developers and maths educators alike: on the one hand its measurement properties are good, the marking is straightforward and the results reliable, on the other hand it is criticised for not assessing the essential skills or encouraging real understanding of the maths being assessed. Recent changes to the curriculum for both primary and secondary schools in England have been designed to give greater flexibility to teachers, and to encourage them to bring more creativity into the maths classroom. New approaches to testing and examining could both exemplify what this means in terms of changed outcomes and encourage new approaches to teaching and learning to be adopted. The National Foundation for Educational Research has conducted a short research project to try to answer the question ‘,what is a good maths assessment?’,. The project was made up of two stages: in the first current maths tests and exams were analysed in terms of the content included, the skills assessed, and the nature of the questions used. The second stage involved interviews with maths educators and experts in England to collect their views about how maths should be assessed. Conclusions have been drawn about the features of good maths assessment.This presentation will describe the results from the research and present some suggestions for good maths items. It will also present some examples of items that ought to be avoided.

Attached Files