AssessmentReference Sheet
This reference sheet describes the various assessment components of the Math in Focus program and their intended purposes.
Recall Prior Knowledge
Before students begin a new chapter, you will need to ensure that they have the pre-requisite knowledge to be successful in that chapter. To begin, use the Recall Prior Knowledge, found on the page after the Chapter Opener, to review materials that was presented in an earlier chapter or grade. Ask the questions provided to review the examples. By doing so, you are not giving them the information but rather checking how many students retained the information. It is natural for students to forget some of what they have learned, so this is an opportunity to stimulate them to remember. If some of the material is new, you will have to teach it now.
Chapter Pre-Test/Quick Check
Following the Recall Prior Knowledge, you will assign either the Quick Check or the Chapter Pre-Test from the Assessment book. The Quick Check is found in the student book making it the more convenient choice, but the Chapter Pre-Test is a better test and is tied to the Transition Resource Map on Think Central.
The Chapter Pre-Test will tell you if students have the prior knowledge to be successful in the current chapter. This is not a test of the upcoming chapter’s content, but rather an assessment of pre-requisite skills and knowledge. If the students do not have the prior knowledge to be successful in the current chapter, you will need the Transition Resource Map or the Teacher’s Guide to Transition book to identify materials for re-teaching prior to proceeding with the chapter.
End of Chapter Assessment
Math in Focus provides two forms of comprehensive assessment for each chapter. The first is the Chapter Review/Test found in the student book for Grades 3-6 and in the workbook for Grades 1-2. While the Chapter Review/Test can be used as the chapter test, it is more useful as a chapter review and practice test. The test in the Assessment book (called Test Prep) is more comprehensive and asks for deeper understanding or mastery. There are three parts to this assessment: multiple choice, short answer, and extended response.
Prior to planning a chapter, review the test carefully (including taking the test yourself). You may see some formats not taught in the chapter. These questions assess whether students can transfer their understanding to new situations.
*If you think the extended response questions are too difficult, pull them out and give them the next day as a separate quiz using a rubric to score them that provides partial credit for student attempts at a solution (this suggestion should only apply in year 1 of implementation). Since these problems assess true student mastery, they should not be omitted, but, as per the suggestion, can be used as a separate quiz in order to lessen the impact on a student’s overall test score.
Cumulative Tests
In addition to the chapter tests there are 6 to 8 cumulative tests as well as mid-year and end-of-year exams. Use these judiciously. Because these are challenging assessments, you may decide to adjust the scoring.