Review Math Practices. Direct students to the Math Practices page in the Student Guide Reference section. Tell students they are going to take a test on the skills and concepts they have learned in the first six units. Help students think about the Math Practices Expectations they will focus on during this assessment.
- Look at the Math Practices page. What can you do to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do in a problem? (Possible response: You need to read each part of the problem carefully so you know what you are being asked to do. You also need to think about the meaning of each number in the problem.)
- What are some tools that we use in math class that might help you as you are working on the test? (Possible response: We can use any tools that we use during class like rulers, fraction circle pieces, and calculators. We can also use the Addition Strategies Menu, Subtraction Strategies Menu, Multidigit Multiplication Strategies Menu, Fraction Chart, or the Fractions on Number Lines pages in the Student Guide
Reference section.)
- As you are working, what are some strategies you can use to make sure your answers make sense and that your calculations are correct? (Possible response: I can use estimation to see if my answer is reasonable. I can check my calculations using another strategy. For example, I can check my multiplication by using repeated addition.)
- Some problems will ask you to explain your thinking. What should you remember to include that shows someone else what you are thinking? (Possible response: I can use words, pictures, and number sentences to show how I solve a problem. I should also label my numbers to show what they mean.)
Complete the Assessment. Students take the test individually. The assessment is designed to be completed in one or two class sessions; however, you may choose to give students more time to complete it.
Ask students to follow the directions for each item. Some ask them to tell how they solved the problem. Encourage students to give full explanations for the problem-solving process used.
Part 1 focuses on number sense, operations, and computations. Students use strategies to solve addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems in Questions 1–2. For Questions 3–5, students solve multistep problems. Students should be encouraged to use tools they have worked with in class such as the Addition Strategies Menu, Subtraction Strategies Menu, Multidigit Multiplication Strategies Menu, and Math Practices page in the Student Guide Reference section. The items in this section are designed to assess students' understanding and use of strategies for operations involving multidigit numbers. Therefore, students should not use a calculator on this section.
In Part 2, problems cover a wide variety of skills and concepts. If you have skipped lessons, you may choose not to assign certain questions. Questions 6–7 involve finding the median number for a data set. Students read a data table and make a bar graph to represent the data. They then read their table or graph to find information and answer questions.
Students use their understanding of fractions and ratios to complete Questions 8–12. Students demonstrate their understanding of finding the volume of rectangular prisms to solve Questions 13–14. In Question 15, students plot points in all four quadrants to make parallelograms and then describe the properties of the shapes they created.
Use the Midterm Test Assessment Masters to assess concepts and skills studied in Units 1–6. As with all such cumulative assessments, it is only one indication of a student's progress and should be read in conjunction with other data such as observations, written work on extended response questions, and documentation of student progress on Expectations.
The overall score on the Midterm Test can be used to provide a broad-brush view of a student's progress. However, the test is better utilized to give information about specific areas of interest and concern. The questions on the test can be matched with specific Key Ideas and Expectations within content strands. See Figures 1–2. Isolating the answer to specific questions can contribute to a more robust picture of student progress.
Use the Feedback Box to assess students' abilities to read and understand the problem [MPE1]; choose good tools and strategies [MPE2]; check for reasonableness [MPE3]; communicate solution strategies [MPE5]; and label answers [MPE6].
