The early years of schooling are a crucial part of a student’s education. Recent years have seen the implementation of new literacy and numeracy programs in primary school classrooms. The key area of mathematics (numeracy) has been closely monitored and funded by political and educational bodies (Clarke, Cheeseman, Gervasoni, Gronn, Horne, McDonough, Montgomery, Roche, Sullivan, Clarke, & Rowley, 2002; Association of Independent Schools of South Australia, 2004). The new numeracy programs have been introduced into the school curriculum to ensure that all students’ needs are catered for in the classroom program. However, standardised testing using pencil and paper is still being used as the accepted form of assessment. The Victorian State Government uses the Achievement Improvement Monitor (AIM) to assess students’ mathematical achievement levels. This pencil and paper test is conducted for students in years three, five, seven and nine and is used to sort the students into a percentile group. Other than the ‘Early Numeracy in the Classroom’ program (2002) used by Victorian schools as a prep. to three program, where a one-on-one interview is used as a form of assessment, there is currently no program that offers students the opportunity to choose how best to represent their own mathematical understanding. Although, the learning needs of students are being better catered for within the classroom, students are being disadvantaged by the way in which they are assessed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/245144 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Deagan, Bronwyn |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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