should also consider the efficiency of the measure to enable screening many students in a short time.”(p.13) Gated screening is more accurate Screening tools should detect children at risk of than at a single-point-in-time mathematical failure, in ways that are reliable, screening accurate, and inform instructional decisions in One solution to this problem is the use of a clear and productive ways. [...] Figure 5: Schematic representation of the approaches of cognitive and behavioural psychology fields to screening research in mathematics 12 Cognitive psychology: The search In the early years of schooling, students’ mental for a core deficit representation of the number line overestimates the distance between smaller numbers and The search for a core deficit in numeracy compresses the distance bet. [...] The development of a more linear revealed that phonological processing deficits mental number line where values are equally (sensitivity to and use of the sound structure spaced has been shown to be reliably related to of spoken language, which includes the ability mathematics achievement in the early years of to isolate individual sounds in speech) appear school (see Figure 7).88 89 to be at the. [...] interpreting what is observed, has the freedom to alter tasks to promote the Having ‘predictive validity’ may mean the child’s understanding and probe his or her test scores themselves have been shown to reactions; the interviewer is permitted predict later maths achievement, or mastery to devise new problems, on the spot, in of the skills measured is predictive of later order to test hypotheses;. [...] individual interviews, such as the Early Numeracy Research Project and Mathematics Recovery, have also recognised the need for significant professional development to ensure teachers are able to use and interpret 21 Table 2: Alignment of sections of commonly used mathematics interviews to the substrands of the Australian Mathematics Curriculum Tool Number and Algebra Measurement and Statistics and.
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Table of Contents
- SCREENING THAT COUNTS 1
- Screening that Counts Why Australia needs universal early numeracy screening 3
- Kelly Norris 3
- Contents 4
- Executive summary 6
- Introduction 7
- Students who struggle with maths can be identified early 8
- Lack of access to high-quality universal early numeracy screening 8
- Intervention outcomes have been mixed 8
- The role of early mathematics screening 9
- The mathematics interview 10
- What tools are Australian schools using 10
- Standardised achievement testing 11
- Universal screening is better suited than diagnostic assessment for identifying students at risk 12
- Methods for early and universal maths screening 12
- Early screening must be part of a systematic approach 13
- Early screening approaches based on Number Sense 14
- Characteristics of effective screeners 15
- Reliability 15
- Predictive validity 15
- Sensitivity and specificity 15
- Gated screening is more accurate than at a single-point-in-time screening 15
- Efficiency 16
- Informing instructional actions 16
- Two main schools of thought in predicting early numeracy success 17
- Behavioural psychology The search for a General Outcome Measure 18
- Cognitive psychology The search for a core deficit 18
- Measuring aspects of number sense in the early years of primary school can effectively guide early maths screening 20
- Number 21
- Number relations 22
- Number operations 22
- General considerations for universal maths screening 24
- Composite measures or single skill measures 24
- Different skills are predictive at different times 24
- Different number ranges and representations are predictive at different times 24
- Different skillscompetencies are predictive of short-term vs longer term achievement 24
- Fluency is more sensitive than accuracy 25
- How well do current tools fit criteria as screening measures 25
- Are they reliable 26
- Do they have sufficient predictive validity Sensitivity and specificity 26
- Are they efficient 29
- Do current tools have clear decision rules that lead to instructional actions 29
- Are current tools fit for screening purposes 30
- The role of general educational risk factors 31
- Implications for policy and practice 32
- The federal governments Year 1 Number Check is insufficient to meet screening needs 32
- Identification of struggling students must be more efficient and systematic 32
- Teachers need manageable ways of and tools for intensifying instruction 33
- Screen and monitor progress in the three domains of number sense at least twice yearly 33
- An early focus on building maths knowledge should include all three components of early number sense 33
- A research-validated nationally- consistent screening tool should be implemented in Year 1 34
- Systems should realign existing assessment tools for a multi- tiered framework 35
- Evidence-based professional development could assist teachers to better interpret and act on screening data 35
- Intervention programs and resources are needed 35
- Progress monitoring tools are needed 35
- Screening and intervention must be ongoing 35
- Long term effectiveness requires high quality tier one curriculum and instruction 36
- Conclusion 36
- Endnotes 37
