How to Make a Math Assessment Test
Ideally, math tests assess what students have learned during a particular math unit, quarter or school year. Most commercial math programs and many school districts provide math assessment tests for educators to use with their students. But sometimes a teacher, tutor or homeschooler wants to assess a specific skill or range of skills that don't fit in with the previously created assessment tests. That's when he needs to spend a few extra minutes creating his own.
Things You'll Need
- State, district and classroom objectives
- Past student assignments
- Appropriate math textbooks/program materials
- Printer
- Copy machine
Instructions
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1
Determine what to assess. List state, district or classroom learning objectives that you want students to be tested on. A third-grade objective might be "Student is able to solve 1 digit by 2 digit multiplication equations." A short math assessment test might only cover one objective, and a long math assessment test might include up to 5 objectives.
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2
Review past materials. Go over what the students have been doing to learn the objectives you want to test. Look at their past assignments and any textbooks or programs you have been using. Think about how many problems they are accustomed to doing, what kind of problems they typically solve and how they have been doing with each type of problem.
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3
Choose how many questions. You'll need to decide how many math problems you'll assign to assess each objective. A test covering just one objective can have anywhere from two to 25 problems assessing that objective. For example, first-grade students being assessed on their knowledge of their addition facts might take a timed 2-minute test of 25 problems. On the other hand, when testing many objectives, each objective might only have four or five problems to go with it.
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Create the problems. For each objective you are testing, find samples of problems that students have already solved. Then type out different versions of the problems until you have as many as you need (as decided in Step 3). For example, if a fifth-grade homework assignment question said, "What percentage of 256 is 37?" then your test question could be "What percentage of 278 is 46?" The questions are similar but not the same. Repeat the same process for each objective.
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Order the problems. Cut and paste your questions so that all the objectives are distributed throughout the test.
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Make an answer key. Solve each problem on the math assessment test and write down any specific kinds of work you would like the students to show. This will help you when grading the tests afterward.
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Finish typing the math assessment test onto your computer. Use the top of the page to provide room for students' names, the date and whatever else they are expected to include on each test they turn in. Make sure you leave room between questions so that students can show their work.
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8
Print and copy math assessment tests. Make sure to copy enough extras for your files, your grade level or department colleagues and students who need to retake the test.
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Tips & Warnings
Create an extra credit problem to challenge higher-level students and to prevent students from rushing through the test.
Don't forget to have someone else proofread your test to make sure you haven't made any grammatical mistakes or typographical errors.
References
- Photo Credit algebra image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com
