\u2026Students from an early age realize that math is different from other subjects and that learning gives way to answering questions and taking tests\u2014performing. The testing culture in the United States, which is more pervasive in math than in other subjects, is a large part of the problem\u2026[W]hy do some educators not realize their constant testing does more than test students, which has plenty of its own problems\u2014it also makes students think that is what math is\u2014producing short answers to narrow questions under pressure? It is no wonder that so many students decide mathematics is not for them. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n -Jo Boaler, mathematics educator and researcher, in Mathematical Mindsets<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This was how I assessed students in the past, and I decided\nthat if I wanted to encourage students\nto embrace a new type of mathematical classroom and a growth mindset towards\nmathematics, I would start by rethinking the type of intake experience I wanted\nthem to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the last two years I have been experimenting with a\ndrastically different form of intake assessment and placement, and, at least\nanecdotally, I am happy with the way it has changed the culture of my classroom\nin the first months of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of a multiple choice, individually scored assessment, I have students work with a partner on a series of collaborative mathematical tasks (for example, one task was to arrange a series of fractions in order from largest to smallest). I encourage students to share their thinking with each other and with me, as I walk around and talk with different pairs. By giving them peers to work with, I am able to draw out more of their thinking and to reinforce the importance of peer collaboration. Some pairs engage with each other more than others, but on the whole it has been successful. Listening to the students as they work together or explain their thinking to me gives me valuable insight into the way each student approaches math, how well they are able to explain their thinking, and what type of conceptual understanding they bring with them. I am also able to probe with follow-up questions to uncover possible misunderstandings in a way that I would not have been able to do with a traditional placement test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I learn more about my students with this type of assessment\nthan I did before, but the primary benefit is what students take from the\nexperience. They have a chance to experience math in a way that promotes\nthinking about concepts, collaboration with peers, and communication, rather\nthan answer getting. Before they enter their first official class, they have an\nidea of what to expect, and how my class might differ from more traditional forms\nof math instruction that they may have experienced when they were younger. I\nsurveyed a small sample of students who took this form of assessment, and all\nresponded that they preferred this form of assessment to a traditional paper\nand pencil test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the assessment itself, I decided to make\nplacement collaborative between myself and the student. At the end of the\nassessment, I explain to the group the different levels of math that I offer\nand what types of concepts we will be working on in each. I then ask students to write down for me\nwhich level they think is the best fit for them. After having just had an\nexperience doing mathematics, I find that students are quite perceptive about\nwhat type of class they need. My own assessment of the student\u2019s level from\nwhat I saw and heard during the assessment generally matches what students\nchoose for themselves. When it doesn\u2019t, I am almost always recommending a\nhigher level than the student chose, which is usually an easy conversation to\nhave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I like giving students the responsibility for leveling\nthemselves, because I think it reinforces the idea that I want them to take the\nlead in making decisions about their learning. Having the opportunity to choose\na level AFTER they have just done some relevant mathematics and heard a\ndescription of what to expect in the different levels gives students the\ninformation to make a good decision. Since I have been doing class placements\nthis way, I find that students have more buy-in, especially when they are in\nthe beginning level class, and I have eliminated potential power struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This form of assessment does take time, since it has to be\ndone in small groups, and it is more difficult to report the results (I write\ndescriptive notes of what I observe from each student, but I don\u2019t have a\nnumerical score or grade that can be quickly compared). It is also far more\ndemanding of my time than simply giving a roomful of students a paper test; I\nhave to be listening, probing, and evaluating, often making decisions on my\nfeet of how to respond or follow up on a student\u2019s thinking. Nevertheless, I\nplan to continue to use and develop this type of assessment in my program,\nbecause it is easier to establish the type of classroom culture I want at the\nbeginning of the year. From day one, I have the chance to influence students\u2019\nperceptions of what mathematics is really all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are interested in trying something similar in your classroom or program, the assessment tasks I have been developing will be made available soon, along with a training on how to use them. Check the SABES website for offerings from the Mathematics and Adult Numeracy Curriculum and Instruction PD Center<\/a> to see all our current offerings as they become available!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Melissa Braaten is an adult education instructor at Catholic Charities Haitian Multi-Services Center in Dorchester, MA. Melissa has taught ASE and pre-ASE math and reading, as well as ABE writing, computer skills, and health classes. Melissa also is a training and curriculum development specialist for the SABES Mathematics and Adult Numeracy Curriculum & Instruction PD Center<\/a> at AV°ÍÊ¿<\/a>. She has written several articles for Math Musings, the Adult Numeracy blog.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/adultnumeracycenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2019\/11\/47_discuss.jpg?w=1024\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/adultnumeracycenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2015\/07\/melissa-braaten-headshot.jpg?w=530\")
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