RSTAQ: Tips

How long is it since you’ve looked in your ‘Managing mathematics’ folder, a rich compilation of assessment devices developed by Education Queensland as the LANDA (Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic Assessment) Project. To make proper sense of these abundant resources, it is important to study the document that accompanies this kit, ‘Managing Mathematics: Assessing for Planning, Learning and Teaching’. This book (with a grey cover) provides the theoretical underpinning for the assessment. Those who were involved in developing the assessment would strongly urge us to look carefully at this document.

Another supporting document worthy of our attention is ‘Managing mathematics: Putting It All Together, A practical handbook for teachers’. This book presents some major considerations when engaging in the assessment process. It ‘punches out’ some of the main points in a succinct, highly visual fashion The information on learning styles, student characteristics, for example is particularly interesting.

If it is some time since you have looked at the folder, dip into it and discover again the amazing wealth of assessment tools here. Here are a few you might look at.

Attention - Time Sampling of Attentional Behaviours p.163
Attention - Attentional behaviours in Mathematics p.159
Memory (visual memory) p.167
Memory (auditory memory) p.168
Language (Test of Linguistic Concepts) p.170
Language (Boehm Test of Basic Concepts) p.172
Motivation (Motivation to become numerate)
Problem Solving (monitoring) p.234
Language in problem solving p.237
Thinking about problems- solving plans p.240
Probing the use of processes p.319-323
Exploring concepts p.337
Guidelines for identifying numeration difficulties in written computation p.359
Inventory of numeration skills p.370

These LANDA resources may be purchased through Access ED, Woolloongabba. See the Access Ed catalogue, p.29. Alternatively it may be viewed online.)

Booker, G. 1994, Booker profiles in mathematics, Melbourne, Australian Council for Educational Research.

Doig, B. 1995, Activities and assessment in mathematics (AAIM), Melbourne: Australian Council for Education Research.

Smith, R. Snapshots (snap) Student numeracy assessment profiles, Learning Links,PO Box 123, Lawnton 4501. Phone: 32851645