Saskatchewan Common Mathematics Assessments
Purpose
These assessments have been created by Saskatchewan teachers from a variety of school divisions. They were created with four purposes in mind:
- Achieve consistency from teacher to teacher in understanding what quality work looks like in relation to the provincial curriculum
- Provide early identification data for teachers to plan instruction for flexible groupings of students.
- Foster collaborative decision making at the school or division levels by collecting evidence of student learning using a common assessment tool
- Provide additional evidence to facilitate outcomes-based grading and reporting and the reporting of student learning growth.
In our renewed curriculum, we know that the indicators describe the limits of the outcome. These assessments were created by using those indicators which can be assessed through supply response items. We acknowledge that this doesn’t represent all indicators and therefore may not give a full picture of student achievement. This is only one part of student assessment and additional evidence, including observations of student performance and discussions with students, should be obtained.
Administering the Assessments
The pre-assessments have been designed to take up to 30 minutes to complete and the post-assessments up to 45 minutes. Time required to complete the assessments may lengthen as grade level increases.
Students require a photocopy of the examination booklet and a pencil. Accommodations should be made for students who require alternative supports such as large print, coloured paper, scribing or assistance with reading. Please read the teacher information section of each assessment for guidance on the use of calculators and manipulatives. Generally, calculators will not be used when students are required to demonstrate computational strategies.
The professional judgment of the teacher is most important when determining how to assess so that the most reliable evidence is collected.
Scoring the Assessments
Each assessment contains an answer key and rubric. The answer key provides information about the level of each question, the correlation with the Saskatchewan curriculum, a short rubric where applicable, and the correct final answers. There are no “points” associated with each item; items are scored correct or incorrect.
The overall level of achievement for the student is determined by the pattern of responses on the levelled items. These are based on the work of R. Marzano (2007).
Items have been selected to address each of these levels in both the pre- and post-assessments.
up to Level 1 / up to Level 2 / up to Level 3 / up to Level 4Description of Levels:
(based on Marzano, 2007) / There is a partial understanding of some of the simpler details and processes.
Prior knowledge is understood. / No major errors or omissions regarding the simpler details or processes, but major errors or omissions regarding the complex processes may be present. / No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes that were explicitly taught.
This is the target level for proficiency. / In addition to level 3 performance, in-depth inferences and applications go beyond what was explicitly taught.
Bloom’s Levels / Prior Knowledge ----Knowing/Understanding------Applying, Analyzing--- Evaluating, Creating-------
The rubric may be used in many ways, for example:
- Share the rubric with students so that they can understand what they have to learn
- Share the rubric with parents to assist in reporting student progress
- Use the rubric levels to determine the learning progression of content/skills
- Rubric levels assist in planning using an Understanding by Design approach
- Formative assessments can be based on the learning targets found in the rubric.
Authors
Saskatchewan Common Mathematics Assessments
Pre Assessment
Outcome: N3.1 – I understand whole numbers up to 1000.
- How many marbles altogether? There are ____ marbles. ( h,q)
(Images from Microsoft Office Clipart)
- Count the money. (f)
3. Give the value of each underlined digit in the following numbers: (p)
a) 777 The underlined 7 means ______.
b) 777 The underlined 7 means ______.
c) 777 The underlined 7 means ______.
4. Fill in the missing numbers. (n)
621 / 623 / 624 / 626 / 627 / 629 / 630632 / 633 / 634 / 635 / 637 / 638
- Order the numbers from least to greatest. (j,m)
279, 824, 491, 196.
______, ______, ______, ______
6.Fill in the missing numbers. (a,b,c)
a)32, 37, 42, 47, ____, _____, _____.
b)743, 753, 763, _____, ______, ______.
c)25, _____, 75, 100, _____.
d) 67, 65, 63, _____, ______, ______.
7.Show 269 in two or more different ways using pictures, numbers or words to show this number. (h,i,o)
8. Estimate how many objects are in the larger container using the smaller container as a referent.(l)
a) There are about ______groups of ten.
b) There are about ______objects.
9. List as many different 3-digit numbers as you can using these digits only once in each number 2, 5, 8? (p)
Teacher Section
Answer Key:
Question / Indicator / Level / Answer1 / N3.1 h, q / 1 / 233
2 / N3.1 f / 1 / 80 or 80 cents is acceptable
3 / N3.1 p / 2 / a)70 or 7 tens
b)7 or 7 ones
c)700 or 7 hundreds
4 / N3.1 n / 2 / 621 / 622 / 623 / 624 / 625 / 626 / 627 / 628 / 629 / 630
631 / 632 / 633 / 634 / 635 / 636 / 637 / 638 / 639 / 640
5 / N3.1 j,m / 2 / 196, 279, 491, 824
6 / N3.1 a,b,c,d / 2 / a)32, 37, 42, 47, _52__, __57__, __62__.
b)743, 753, 763, __773__, __783__, __793__.
c)25, __50__, 75, 100, __125__.
d) 67, 65, 63, __61__, __59___, __57___.
7 / N3.1 h,I,o / 3 / Drawings of 269, 200+60+9, Two hundred sixty nine, two hundreds + six tens + nine ones etc.
8 / N3.1 l / 3 / a)5 to 8 groups of 10
b)From 50 to 80 objects
9 / N3.1 p / 4 / 258, 285, 520, 582, 825, 852
Outcome: N3.1 Demonstrate understanding of whole numbers to 1000 (concretely, pictorially, physically, orally, in writing, and symbolically) including:
- representing (including place value)
- describing
- estimating with referents
- comparing two numbers
- ordering three or more numbers.
N3.1 / up to Level 1 / up to Level 2 / up to Level 3 / up to Level 4
Description of Levels:
(based on Marzano, 2007) / There is a partial understanding of some of the simpler details and processes.
Prior knowledge is understood. / No major errors or omissions regarding the simpler details or processes, but major errors or omissions regarding the complex processes may be present. / No major errors or omissions regarding any of the information and/or processes that were explicitly taught.
This is the target level for proficiency. / In addition to level 3 performance, in-depth inferences and applications go beyond what was explicitly taught.
Indicators and Learning Targets for each Level: /
- Represents numbers to 1000.
- Represent the sequence of numbers for one skip counting pattern.
- Order a sequence of numbers
- Represent the sequence of numbers for some skip counting patterns.
- Identifies missing numbers up to 1000.
- Explain the meaning of each digit in a two digit number.
- Estimates using referents
- Represent the sequence of numbers for all skip counting patterns up to 1000 forwards and backwards.
- Analyze and order a sequence of numbers up to 1000.
- Represent a number up to 1000 in more than one way.
- Explain the meaning of each digit in a three digit number.
- Demonstrate understanding of whole numbers to 1000
Student-friendly descriptions of learning targets. / I can read and write 3 digit numbers.
I can skip count in any one way. / I can order 3 or more numbers up to 1000.
I can skip count forwards and backwards.
I can locate and place missing numbers.
I can show place value for tens and ones. / I can skip count forwards and backwards from any spot on the number line.
I can make thoughtful estimates.
I can compare and order 3 or more numbers up to 1000.
I can show a number up to 1000 in different ways.
I can show place value in a three digit number. / I can show I understand whole numbers to 1000.