What Does the NAEP Mathematics Assessment Measure?The long-range plan established by the National Assessment Governing Board called for the development of a new mathematics framework for the 2005 assessment. The revisions made to the mathematics framework for the 2005 assessment are intended to reflect recent curricular emphases and to include clear and more specific objectives for each grade level. Find out how the 2005 mathematics framework compares with the 1990–2003 mathematics framework. To read more about the mathematics objectives used for previous assessments, explore the 1990–2003 mathematics framework. The 2005 mathematics framework focuses on two dimensions: mathematical content and cognitive demand. By considering these two dimensions for each item in the assessment, the framework ensures that NAEP assesses an appropriate balance of content along with a variety of ways of knowing and doing mathematics. Like the assessment frameworks used for the 1990–2003 assessments, the 2005 and 2007 NAEP mathematics framework describes five mathematics content areas:
These divisions are not intended to separate mathematics into discrete elements. Rather, they are intended to provide a helpful classification scheme that describes the full spectrum of mathematical content assessed by NAEP. At grade 12, the five content areas are collapsed into four, combining geometry and measurement, because most of the measurement topics suitable for grade 12 students are geometrical, making the distinction between the two categories unnecessary. There are certain aspects of mathematics that occur in all the content areas. The best example of this is computation, the skill of performing operations on numbers. It should not be confused with the content area of NAEP called number properties and operations. Computation is critical for solving problems in the measurement, geometry, data analysis and probability, and algebra content areas. Computation is a foundational skill in every content area. The second dimension, mathematical complexity, attempts to focus on the cognitive demands of the assessment question. Mathematical complexity is categorized as low, moderate, or high, and each level of complexity includes aspects of knowing and doing mathematics, such as reasoning, performing procedures, understanding concepts, or solving problems. The levels of complexity form an ordered description of the demands an item may make on a student. Items at the low level of complexity, for example, may ask a student to recall a property. At the moderate level, an item may ask the student to make a connection between two properties; at the high level, an item may ask a student to analyze the assumptions made in a mathematical model. This is an example of the distinctions made in item complexity to provide balance in the assessment. The ordering is not intended to imply that mathematics is learned or should be taught in such an ordered way. The complexity dimension builds on the dimensions of mathematical ability (conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, and problem solving) and mathematical power (reasoning, connections, and communication) that were used in the mathematics framework for the 1996-2003 NAEP assessments. The mathematics framework specifies the percentage of questions devoted to each content area by grade. Sample Questions booklets for the mathematics assessment are available for download. For more details about the objectives of the mathematics assessment, explore the NAEP mathematics framework (3516K PDF).
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