Assessing Math Concepts AMC Orange County Schools

3 rd Grade Proficiency Fall 2010

Dilemma: In order for 3 rd graders to master 3 rd grade math skills, they must exit 2 nd grade with a fluent understanding and working knowledge of ten.

What we know: When children follow procedures without understanding the underlying mathematics, what they are doing is empty mathematics. Empty mathematics is a barrier to accessing and mastering higher math skills and using mathematical concepts to genuinely problem solve. What we need to know: Knowing a student gave the correct answer is not enough. We must uncover their thinking as they work toward the answers. Mathematical understanding and procedural skill are equally important. Both require fluency and automaticity.

Assessing Math Concepts (AMC) offers… An efficient protocol to assess children’s working knowledge of core concepts in math. Data that accurately portrays a learners present level of performance and a flow chart indicating a learner’s subsequent developmental math needs. Strategies to inform instructional decisions purposefully addressing student need through intervention or enrichment. Alignment with the Common Core State Standards.

AMC Core ConceptsCommon Core Counting and Comparing Adding and Subtracting Place Value Counting and Cardinality Operations and Algebraic Thinking Number and Operations in Base Ten Number and Operations –Fractions

AMC assessments have been carefully designed so each question elicits several levels of student thinking. This gives teachers the most information possible in the shortest amount of ti me about each individual student.

T HE A SSESSMENT P ROCESS

T HE INDICATORS A Can do it, no problems P Can do it, but it is not easy yet I Can’t do it, needs instruction on this skill N Needs prerequisite skills, not ready for this assessment ************************************************* “P” is the edge of understanding. This is where instruction begins.

3 rd Grade Proficiency After Assessing Math Concepts

PLC’ S A NALYZE AMC D ATA AND R ESPOND TO S TUDENT N EEDS. AMC S TRATEGIES I NFORM T IER I, II, AND III I NSTRUCTION. All Hands On Deck: Grade level rotation of students between teachers based on students needs (Occurs during math time and/or intervention time). Intervention groups meet once a week. Strategies are differentiated according to student needs (ex: Measurement day with metric measurement). Center activities created with AMC materials inform daily Math Workshop planning. Small group pull-out by interventionists 1 group for five days – lunch bunch 2 groups (1 group M, W, F and 1 group T, Th)

R ESULTS

G ROUPING T ENS G ROWTH S ECOND G RADE Following Intervention

B ENEFITS OF AMC Assessments may serve as formative or summative data and are aligned with Common Core Math Cost effective (additional information in handout) Sustainable Teachers begin to understand and value math talk Deepens teacher understanding of child development in relation to numeration Increases teacher’s comfort level with math instruction Develops student’s reasoning skills Interview protocol supports ELL students’ development of expressive language A positive view of math emerges