• Math in Focus assessments are designed to measure student understanding at three levels: Basic, Application, and Novel.

    ·         Basic questions require students to demonstrate foundational skills and basic understanding. Students who respond accurately to these types of questions can solve simple word problems, perform basic computations, and demonstrate that they have acquired the necessary skills and understandings to allow instruction to move forward.  The grade level expectation is that all students will achieve mastery at this level.

     

    ·         Application questions require students to apply their skills and understandings to routine situations.  Students who respond accurately to these types of questions are able to apply their learning to word problems and questions that are similar to those experienced in classroom instruction.  The grade level expectation is that most students will achieve mastery at this level.

     

    ·         Novel questions require students to transfer their skills and understandings to unique situations. Students who respond accurately to these types of questions are able to solve problems they have never experienced in their classroom instruction.  Through conceptualization and generalization, they can see the relationship between their classroom instruction and the novel situation – and solve the problem.  The grade level expectation is that only some students will achieve mastery at this level.  It is very important to include novel questions on assessments. Novel questions enable the district to assess for deep conceptual understanding.  Without them, the district would primarily be assessing students on their procedural skill – the ability to follow a learned sequence of steps.  This approach to assessment is a unique and essential part of preparing students for success, and it is a strength of the Math in Focus program.

     

    Question: What are “novel items” on the tests?

    Answer: Each Math in Focus test contains one or more novel item.  How to solve that item is unfamiliar to students.  They did not solve a “similar” item prior to taking the test.  This item is to see if students can truly apply what they learned to novel, unique situations.

     

    Question:  Students are not doing as well on tests as they had in the past because the tests are very rigorous. What can be done to help students be more successful on the tests?

    Answer:  Not having to do “novel” problems with such increased rigor and performance expectations prior to the test is making doing that a real stretch for some students.  To support students, those items are taken into account when we calculate the students’ grades.  Students are doing these problems though as part of the learning experience.  Tests are 12 items with one or more being the novel item, and depending on the test, about half being skill-based questions, and the other half being application items.  By seeing items on the tests that are similar to those they did during instruction and learning, it will improve students’ confidence in doing mathematics at a deeper level.  We encourage the students to attempt the problem so that we can see what they know and can help them work through the part that they are struggling with.

    Remember…we are teaching the children to be THINKERS as well as MATHMETICIANS!!