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A study of mathematics written assessment in Singapore secondary schools
Citation
Wong, L. F., & Kaur, B. (2015). A study of mathematics written assessment in Singapore secondary schools. The Mathematics Educator, 16(1), 19-44. http://math.nie.edu.sg/ame/matheduc/tme/tmeV16_1/TME16_2.pdf
Abstract
In Singapore schools, teachers rely heavily on written assessments they construct themselves assessing students’ learning in mathematics. However, there are no assessment standards available for them to scrutinize their written assessments for quality and rigor. Therefore the purpose of this study is to derive a set of assessment standards to examine the quality of mathematics written assessment from three secondary schools in Singapore, in particular, the alignment to relevant dimensions of understanding and cognitive demands. Findings of this study show that while all the categories of cognitive demands and dimensions of understanding are represented in the mathematics written assessments, the items are heavily biased towards assessing knowledge and skills in particular categories or dimensions. These findings have implications as assessment drives what students learn. Research has shown that the quality and characteristics of our mathematics written assessment send a signal to our students whether to take either a surface approach or a deep approach to learning.
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Association of Mathematics Educators
Journal
The Mathematics Educator