Name: ______Date: ______

Dear Teachers,

In this document you will find both an assessment and checklist for use at the beginning of first grade. This assessment contains the Kindergarten pivotal standards and fluency. These assessments grew out of Kate Abell’s work with the Math Collective – which is a group comprised of mostly teachers and Math Coaches – many of them local (and now including work with some teachers from this school!). The PS 321 Math Leaders met and reviewed these assessments this summer. Based on their input and feedback, we have been able to create our own Beginning of the Year (BoY) assessments for K-5. The hope is that these can be a useful tool for us in looking at our students’ work as we continue our focus on consistency, differentiation and supports for all students in Math this year.

These assessments are meant to be a diagnostic of where students are, and give us ideas as to the work we can do in the year ahead. To help make them as effective as possible toward that end, we ask that you don’t teach content regarding specific questions ahead of time, and that you don’t give any hints. The assessments shouldn’t be timed, and shouldn’t take more than one period.You can fill in the checklist electronically, or use the attached hard copy if that is easier.I will be collecting checklists by grade to help us as we analyze trends. The electronic copy of the spreadsheet will be available to you as a Google Sheet in a shared “Beginning of the Year Assessment” folder for your grade via your ps321.info account. Each teacher will have an electronic copy available labeled with their name and class number. When filling out the spreadsheet, most questions can be marked as AOC (Area of Concern), AGA (Approaching Grade Appropriate) and GA (Grade Appropriate).

MATH BoY ASSESSMENT TIMEFRAME—

  • We ask that teachers please administer these during the week of 9/21.
  • There will be additional time to score and fill in the electronic or hard copy checklist during PD time on Monday, 9/28. For teachers filling out hard copies of the checklist, please place a photocopy of your checklist in my mailbox after 9/28. I will be speaking with Lindsey Marquardt and she will be available to help you fill it out electronically if you would like to and need assistance.
  • We will be looking through and discussing our results together during PD time on Monday, 10/5.

Please Note:

Individual Interview questions, 1-3, only need to be given to strugglers and new admits.Questions 4 and 5 should also only be given to strugglers who need manipulatives to solve.Other story problems can be read aloud to most kids or to the whole class. Students will solve these on paper.

End of the Year:

*Write numbers 1-20 on the back.

AOC / AGA / GA / Concept/Skills & Prompts / What are you assessing?
(Strategies & Big Ideas) / Comments
(Use this space to document student’s responses.)
1. Counts to 100 by 1s & 10s / Counts all
2. Child demonstrates ability to count by tens:
Give child 6 towers of 10 unifix cubes.
“These towers are made of 10 cubes each. How many cubes are there?” / Unitizing
3. Can you tell me what:
2+3=
4+1=
0+5=
What is:
5-1=
5-4=
5-2= / Knows addition facts fluently
Knows subtraction facts fluently
4. Participates in solving oral number stories to 10 (addition).
“I bought 4 cookies. I bought 5 more. How many did I buy altogether? How do you know?”
* If child is unable to do task you may lower the number. / Counts all
Counts on
Uses known facts
Needs manipulatives
Other:
If child is unable to do task without cubes, give them manipulatives and note strategy.
5. Participates in solving oral number stories to 10 (subtraction).
“I had 7 cookies. I ate 2 of them. How many did I have left? How do you know?” / Counts all
Counts on
Uses known facts
Needs manipulatives
Other:
If child is unable to do task without cubes, give them manipulatives and note strategy.
6. Student demonstrates understanding of sums to 10.
Give child a paper and pencil.
“Show all the different ways to make 10.”
If child needs math rack, give it to them. / Combinations of 10
Other:
7.Demonstrates understanding of sums to 5 without manipulatives.WHOLE CLASS
*Cookie and Chocolate chip problems.
8. Teachers can increase the number to 10 if you feel like the child is able to do combinations of 10. / Models quantity with symbols
Combinations that make 5
Compensation
9. Solves written story problem within 10. WHOLE CLASS
*Balls on the playground problem. (addition) / Models quantity with symbols
Models adding on
Models groups
Creates the 10-frame
10. Solves written story problem within 10.WHOLE CLASS
*Bus problems (subtraction) / Models quantity with symbols
Records answers using equations
Models groups