Learning Outcomes Assessments and the
Use of Data to Set Objectives and to Guide
Design for Mathematics Education
Jeff Davis, Education Development Associates LLC
5 December 2013
Outline
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Process of choosing assessment tools
Purposes of a system to classify tools
Launch of system for classifying tools
Classification of numeracy assessment tools
Landscape of numeracy assessment tools
Gaps in numeracy assessment tools
Questions and discussion
Process of Choosing Assessment Tools
• Need for measureable learning outcomes in
literacy and numeracy
• Importance of assessment tools for supporting
instruction, monitoring progress, and guiding
political/policy dialogue (demand)
• Identification of formative and summative
assessment tools (supply)
• Matching process of demand and supply for
assessment tools in literacy and numeracy
Purposes of a System to Classify
Assessment Tools
• Make sense of existing assessment systems
– Judge current situation
– Identify overlaps and gaps
– Plan for future assessments
• Match supply and demand for tools
– Identify needs
– Find tools to fit those needs
– Adapt to contexts
Launch of System by Creating a
Classification System and Database
• Launch of a user-friendly system for accessing
numeracy assessment tools
• Target an audience of practitioners who need
to measure numeracy learning outcomes
• Present characteristics and a system for
classifying assessments in text format (current)
• Eventually put information into a user-friendly
database, with codes for queries (future)
Criteria for Classifying and Describing
Numeracy Assessment Tools
Assessment Characteristics
Purpose (Intention, use)
Scope/sample (Time period, census/sample)
Type (Formative, summative; assessment, exam)
Subject/content (Domains, cognitive; alignment)
Source (Government, donor, private)
Item types (Objective, open-ended)
Testing method (Oral/individual, group; IT use)
Statistics/psychometrics (Simple, complex)
Grade level (Specific, across)
Cost/resources (Local, national, international)
Adaptation (Languages, tasks)
Sustainability (Schools, institutions)
Landscape of Numeracy
Assessment Tools
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EGMA (Early Grade Math Assessment)
TEMA (Test of Early Mathematics Ability)
ASER (Annual Status of Education Report)
UWEZO (“Capability” in Kiswahili + Others)
TEAM (Tools for Early Assessment in Math)
National (e.g., FARS & LARS; CAPS)
Regional (e.g., PASEC)
International (e.g., TIMSS, TIMSS Numeracy)
EGMA in MENA
(23 total countries as of August 2013)
• Iraq – April 2012 (USAID-funded)
– Inform teacher training and curriculum reform
– 54 schools
• Jordan – May 2012 (USAID-funded)
– Conduct baseline of student achievement levels
– 156 schools
• Morocco – May 2011 (USAID-funded)
– Conduct baseline of student achievement levels
– 40 schools
TIMSS (Trends in Mathematics and
Science Study) in MENA
• Previous participants in 2011 (50 total at Grade 4)
Bahrain
Qatar
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Tunisia
Morocco
UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai)
Oman
Yemen
• Additional participants expressing interest for 2015
Egypt
Lebanon
Palestinian National Authority
Gaps in Numeracy Assessment Tools
• Examinations, national, international, diagnostic
• Formative or classroom-based
– High potential for raising achievement levels
– Evaluation at multiple points during the year
– Observation, questioning, and tasks
– Actionable character, i.e., inform instruction
– Systematic approach, i.e., set targets, provide
instruction, conduct assessments, use data to
monitor student, classroom, and school progress
Next Steps
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Further develop the classification system
Try out the system using numeracy tools
See whether it is useful to practitioners
Revise and modify it
Make it available