Beneficial Math Assessment In Math Centers
Math centers is an amazing time of the day full of discovery, exploration, and learning. It is vital for students to have an independent station in which their progress is assessed. Although I knew that this was necessary, it was still hard for me because I wanted all of my math centers to be interactive and engaging, not a worksheet! However, I know that it’s a worksheet that was the best math assessment to check students’ understanding and ensure they knew how to apply the content to paper pencil when it came time for a math test.
The Math Assessment Station
No, of course I do not call it that! The math center is called Math By Myself! Students know that this is a time for them to apply what they have learned, do a self check of their understanding, and it lets me see what we need to work on at the teacher station.
The image above shows what it looks like when I teach guided math. I believe that this concrete interactive experience helps to ensure students’ understanding. However, students also need to know how to read the problems themselves, show their work, and apply math activities on paper.
How to Facilitate This Center
The math assessment at this center does not look like a test, it is either a page from the students’ math journal or a worksheet that I created. The activity is differentiated to check their understanding at their level.
I create three labeled folders for the three math groups in my classroom. Students know that they go to their folder in order to get the worksheet they need to complete at this math center.
We model and practice the expectation that students complete this math activity at their desks and silently. If they do not understand something, they know that they just need to try their best.
Math Assessment in Other Centers
I also keep notes of running records as we are working in our teacher station. I frequently walk around to check on the students at the game center and monitor their progress.
Read more about my other math centers:
