Item if they wish.

here are some items you could use to build such an inventory :

 I feel sure of my self when i get an answer to a problem.

 I sometimes just put down anything so i can get it over with.
 I like to work on really hard math problems.
 Math class makes me feel nervous.
 If i get stuck,i usually just quit or go to another problem.
 I am not as good in math as most of the other students in this class.
 Mathematics is my favorite subject.
 I do not like to work at problems that are hard to understand.
 Memorizing rules is the only way i know to learn mathematics.
 I will work a long time at a probem until i think i’ve solved it.
Another technique is to ask students to write a sentence at the end of any work
they do in mathematics class saying how that activity made them feel.young children
can draw a face on each page to tell you about their fellings.

Tests
Tests will always be a part of assessment and evaluation no matter how aadept
we become at blending assessment with intruction.however,a test need not be a
collection of low-level skill exercises.altough simple test of computational skills may
have some role in your classroom,the use of such tests should be limitid.like all other
forms of assessment,test should reflect the gloas of your instruction.test can be
desiqned to find out what concepts students have and how their ideas are
connected.test of procedural knowledge should go beyon just knowing how to
perform an algorithm and should allow and require the student to demonstrate a
conceptual basis for the process.the following examples will ilustrate these ideas.
1. Write a multiplication problem that has an answer between the answers to these two
problems :
49 45
X25 X30
2. A. In this division exercise,what number tells how many tens were shared among the
6 sets?
 B. instread of writing the remainder as “R 2,” elaine writes “f”.explain the
difference beetween these two ways of handling the leftover part.
49R2 491/3
6)296 6)296
3. On the grid, draw to figures with the same area but different perimeters.list the area and
perimeter of each.
4. For Seach subtractions fact,write an addition fact that helps you think of the answer to the
subtraction.
12 4 9 14
-3 +3 -4 -7
4 12
5. Draw pictures of arrows to show why -3 +-4 is the same as -3-+4.

If a test is well consteucted, much more information can be found than simply the
number of crrect or incorrect answers.here are some things to think about when
constructing a test :
1. Permit calculators all the time.except for tests of computational skills,the
calculator allows students to focus on what you really want to test.it also
communicaates a positive attitude about calculator use to your students.
2. Use manipulasitives and drawings.student can use appropriaate models to
work on test questions when those same models have been used to
develop concepts.(note the use of drawings in example 5 above.)simple
drawings can be used to represent counters,base-ten pieces,fraction
pieces,and the like (see-figure 6.9).be sure to provide examples in class of
how to draw the models before you ask students to draw on a test.
3. Include opportunities for explanations.
4. Avoid always using”preanswered” test.these are tests i wich questions
have only one correct answer, whether it is a calculation,a multiple-
choice,or a fill in-the-blank question.tests of the type tend to fragmen
what children have learned and hide most of what they
know.rather,construct test that allow students the opportunity to show
what they know.
Confronting the myth
Most experienced teachers will tell you that they know a great deal about their
students in terms of what the students know,how they perform in different
situasitions,their attitudes and beliefs,and their various levels of skill attainment.good
teachers have always been engaged in on going performance assessment,albeit
informal and ussualy with no recording.however,even good teachers have relied on
test scores to determine grades,essentially forcing themselves to ignore a wealth of
information that reflected a truer picture of their students.
The myth of grading by statistical number crunching is so firmly ingrained in
scholling at all levels that you may find it hard to abadon.if one things is clear from
the discussionsin this chapter,if should be that it is quite piossible to gather a wide
variety of rich information about students”understanding,problen-solving
processes,and attitudes and beliefs.to ignore all of this information infavor of a
handfull of numbers based on tests,tests that ussually focus on low-level skills,is
unfair to students,to parents,and to you as the teacher.
Grading issues
For effective use of the assessment information gathered from
problems,tasks,and other appropriate methods to assign grades,some hard decisions
are inevitable.some are philosophical,some requere school or district agreements
about grades,and all requere us to examine what we value and the objectives we
communicate to students and parents.
What gets graded gets valued
In contrast to the many myths of grading,one thing is undeniable true :
What gest graded is what gets valued. Using rubric scores to provide feedback and to
encourage a pursuit of excellence must also relate to grades.however,”converting four
out of five to 80 percent or three out of four to a grade of C can destory the entire
purpose of alternative assessment and the use of scoring
rubrics”(kulm,1994,p.99).kulm explain that direcly translating rubrics to grades
focuses attention on grades and away from the purpose of every good problem-
solving activity,to strive for an excellent performance.the difference is between giving
students an informative score for their work and assigning a grade.when papers are
returned with less than top ratings,the purpose is to help students know what is
necessary to achieve at a higher level.early on,there should be opportunities to inprove
based on feedback.when a grade of 75 percent or a C- is returned,all the student
knows is that he or she did poorly.if, for example,a students ability to justify her own
answers and solutions has improved,should she be penalized in the averaging of
numbers by a weaker performance early in the marking periold?
What this means is that grading must be based on the performance tasks and
orther activities for which you assigned rubric ratings,otherwise,students will soon
realize that these are not importan scores.at the some time,they need not be added or
averaged in any numeric manner.the grade at the end of the marking period should
reflect a holistic view of where the student is now relative to your goals and your
value system.that value system shouid be clearly reflected in your framework for
rating tasks.