There are 3 tasks in this activity which will help you learn how to develop and implement a Dynamic Math Assessment which provides in-depth information about students’ mathematical knowledge and skills. This activity will enable you to integrate four different assessment strategies designed to measure students’:

1) conceptual & procedural understandings

2) receptive (recognition) & expressive (doing) abilities

3) instructional level (Frustration, Instructional, Mastery)

Throughout this activity are links to examples and videos of teachers using the dynamic math assessment process. Caution:The page may upload slowly due to the large size of four video files. These videos can also be found on the MathVIDS Instructional Strategies link, Mathematics Dynamic Assessment.

Plan the Dynamic Assessment

1. Choose a class or group with whom you would like to use the dynamic math assessment;
2. Download the Dynamic Math Assessment chart;
3. Download the Student Interest Inventory and the Class Interest Inventory. Make copies of the Student Interest Inventory and ask your students to complete it. Then use the Class Interest Inventory to summarize your students' interests, choosing those interests that represent your students overall. If you don't have a present class to work with, then complete the Class Interest Inventory based on what interests you think students you might teach would have.;
4. Click and review the Virginia Mathematics SOL and choose an appropriate SOL that you will be working on soon ;
5. Reference the Essential Knowledge and Skills for this SOL to articulate the Big Ideas for the mathematics underlying this SOL. *If you do not teach in the state of Virginia then consult your particular state's or district's learning standards and curriculum frameworks;
6. Use information from your students’ interest inventories, and the Big Ideas identified in Step 5, to develop a Key Problem that contains a context that is of interest and is familiar to your students. Click here for an example. Please watch a demonstration of Dynamic Assessment below:

   Description: This video provides an overview of what dynamic assessment is and how to conduct dynamic assessment in a math class.

   Place your mouse over the video and click the Play button. Note: the video may be slow depending on your Internet speed.

7. Complete the Dynamic Math Assessment chart to develop assessment items and to create centers that can be used to measure your students’ procedural and conceptual understandings, their receptive and expressive abilities, and their instructional levels. To do this, you need to think about the mathematical concept you want to measure and how students can demonstrate their understandings at the concrete, representational, and abstract levels. Click CRA Assessment to obtain more information. For an example of a Dynamic Mathematics Assessment chart showing examples of CRA/receptive & expressive assessment items click here. Please watch a demonstration of CRA Assessment below:

   Description: This video provides a demonstration of CRA assessment.

   Place your mouse over the video and click the Play button. Note: the video may be slow depending on your Internet speed.

8. Once you’ve decided on your centers, think about how to assign your students to groups and how the groups will progress through all 3 centers. Consider these grouping procedures: 1) Grouping should be random; 2) Use staggered starts for groups; and 3) First group starts at Abstract center, move to Representational center, then to Concrete center. Students progress at own pace. Second group follows, then third group as space allows at next center.
9. Make sure that you plan to have students record their work on a teacher-created form and take digital picture(s) of their solution(s) at the Concrete center.

Implement the Dynamic Assessment

1. As students work in the centers, you will want to monitor student activity and note significant misconceptions, ideas, errors, etc.;
2. After students have completed the centers, you will want to examine students’ work and group them according to their levels of understanding
• Levels of Understanding: Concrete, Representational, Abstract
• Demonstration of knowledge: Recognition (receptive); Doing (expressive)
• Instructional Learning Level: Mastery, Instructional, Frustration
3. If one or more student responses are “confusing” or contradictory, then complete individual or group flexible interviews to gather additional information. This flexible interview ideally occurs the next instructional period/day. Flexible interviews can also be done as students respond at the three centers, as you observe students responding in an interesting way or incorrectly. Please watch a video demonstration below to see a teacher and her students implementing a Mathematics Dynamic Assessment:

   Description: This video provides a demonstration of how to implement dynamic assessment in a math class.

   Place your mouse over the video and click the Play button. Note: the video may be slow depending on your Internet speed.

Using the Dynamic Assessment to Inform Planning

1. Review the information that you have collected about your students' mathematical understandings from the dynamic assessment you have completed in Tasks 1 & 2. Then, download and complete the Dynamic Assessment Results Table and develop instructional hypotheses that explains the students’ understanding. Please watch a video demonstration below:

   Description: This video provides a demonstration of how to use information obtained in dynamic assessment to inform your future lesson-planning.

   Place your mouse over the video and click the Play button. Note: the video may be slow depending on your Internet speed.

Join Activity 4.1 Discussion and share your findings with your learning community. Reflect on the following questions:

• What do you think contributed to your students’ responses?
• How did your students’ responses compare to any predictions you may have had?
• What suggestions do your learning partners have for instruction?