Classroom Compass
Volume 2 Number 2
Spring 1996

The Learning Standard

Assessment in Mathematics Classrooms

Assessment that enhances mathematics learning becomes a routine part of ongoing classroom activity rather than an interruption. Assessment does not simply mark the end of a learning cycle. Rather, it is an integral part of instruction that encourages and supports further learning. Opportunities for informal assessment occur naturally in every lesson. They include listening to students, observing them, and making sense of what they say and do. Especially with very young children, the observation of students' work can reveal qualities of thinking not tapped by written or oral activities. In planning lessons and making instructional decisions, teachers identify opportunities for a variety of assessments. Questions like the following become a regular part of the teacher's planning: "What questions will I ask?" "What will I observe?" "What activities are likely to provide me with information about students' learning?" Preparation for a formal assessment does not mean stopping regular instruction and teaching to the test. Instead, for students, ongoing instruction is the best preparation for assessment. Similarly, for teachers, ongoing assessment is the best foundation for instruction.

Assessment that enhances mathematics learning incorporates activities that are consistent with, and sometimes the same as, the activities used in instruction. For example, if students are learning by communicating their mathematical ideas in writing, their knowledge of mathematics is assessed, in part, by having them write about their mathematical ideas. If they are learning in groups, they may be assessed in groups. If graphing calculators are used in instruction, they are to be available for use in assessment.

Students' classroom work, along with projects and other out-of-class work, is a rich source of assessment data for making inferences about students' learning. Many products of classroom activity are indicators of mathematics learning: oral comments, written papers, journal entries, drawings, computer-generated models, and other means of representing knowledge. Students and teachers use this evidence, along with information from more formal assessment activities, to determine next steps in learning. Evidence of mathematics learning can be found in activities that range from draft work, through work that reflects students' use of feedback and helpful criticism, to a polished end product. Continuous assessment of students' work not only facilitates their learning of mathematics but also enhances their confidence in what they understand and can communicate. Moreover, external assessments support instruction most strongly when classroom work is included. When classroom work, the teacher's judgments, and students' reflections are valued parts of an external assessment, they enhance students' mathematics learning by increasing the fit between instructional goals and assessment.