0.1 Assessment and assessment support  (Page 4/8)

Some points to keep in mind:

• Try not to test too many concepts within one diagnostic assessment.
• Be selective in the type of questions you choose.
• Diagnostic assessments need to be designed with a certain structure in mind. As an educator, you should decide exactly what outcomes you will be assessing and structure the content of the assessment accordingly.
• The assessment is marked differently to other tests in that the mark is not the focus but rather the type of mistakes the learner has made.

An example of an understanding rubric for educators to record results is provided below:

0 - indicates that the learner has not grasped the concept at all and that there appears to be a fundamental mathematical problem.

1 - indicates that the learner has gained some idea of the content, but is not demonstrating an understanding of the notation and concept.

2 - indicates evidence of some understanding by the learner but further consolidation is still required.

3 - indicates clear evidence that the learner has understood the concept and is using the notation correctly.

An example of a diagnostic assessment to evaluate learners’ proficiency in calculator skills is provided below. There is a component of self-assessment as well as a component on educator assessment and how to group the various questions to diagnose any gaps or problems with learners’ calculator skills.

Calculator worksheet - diagnostic skills assessment

Question 1

Calculate:

1. 242 + 63 ____________
2. 2 – 36 x (114 + 25) ____________
3. $\sqrt{\text{144}+\text{25}}$ ____________
4. $\sqrt[4]{\text{729}}$ ____________
5. –312 + 6 + 879 – 321 + 18 901 ____________

Question 2

Calculate:

a) $\frac{2}{7}+\frac{1}{3}$ = _________

b) $2\frac{1}{5}-\frac{2}{9}$ = _________

c) $-2\frac{5}{6}+\frac{3}{8}$ = _________

d) $4-\frac{3}{4}\times \frac{5}{7}$ = _________

e) $\left(\frac{9}{\text{10}}-\frac{8}{9}\right)÷\frac{3}{5}$ = _________

f) $2\times {\left(\frac{4}{5}\right)}^2-\left(\frac{\text{19}}{\text{25}}\right)$ = _________

g) $\sqrt{\frac{9}{4}-\frac{4}{\text{16}}}$ = _________

Self-Assessment Rubric: Name: ___________________

Educator Assessment Rubric:

Guidelines for Calculator Skills Assessment:

Suggested guideline to allocation of overall levels

Level 1

• Learner is able to do basic operations on calculator.
• Learner is able to do simple calculations involving fractions.
• Learner does not display sufficient mental estimation and control techniques.

Level 2

• Learner is able to do basic operations on calculator.
• Learner is able to square and cube whole numbers as well as find square and cube roots of numbers.
• Learner is able to do simple calculations involving fractions as well as correctly execute calculations involving mixed numbers.
• Learner displays some degree of mental estimation awareness.