Finding the Appropriate Math Level for My Students

When I teach special education math, it’s like teaching 15 lessons at once!  Each student is on a different level, moving at their own pace.  It can be difficult when differentiating instruction because each student’s level changes all the time!  I needed a way to consistently check in with each student to see how they were progressing.  The only trick was, I wanted to capture this data without overwhelming my students with tests.  I needed informal math assessments for special education.

Quick Assessments

I created quick informal math assessments for special education, used every quarter, to monitor progress on my students.  Since each of my students are at completely different levels, I created levels K-8 for this assessment.  Each assessment is aligned with Common Core Standards and will help you determine the average math grade level and abilities of the student.  Also included in this assessment are quick fluency assessments, an ANSWER KEY for all assessments, teacher data recording/progress monitoring/tracking sheets, and sample IEP goals for Math.

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These informal math assessments are most EFFECTIVE and GREAT for: Teachers/Resource Specialists/Special Education Teachers to use for progress monitoring, baseline data, IEP information, or for incoming students that need to be placed in appropriate grade level math curriculum.  I currently use them in a Resource setting, but these assessments would also be great for Response to Intervention (RTI), Special Education, and General Education. There are 3 different versions available (Version 1, Version 2, and Version 3) but all of these are available at a discount in the BUNDLE.

Three Versions

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BUNDLEinformal-math-assessments-for-special-education

What can you assess with this?

*Comprehension of Math Standards
*Average Math grade level
*Math Fluency
*Math Accuracy

DOWNLOAD the FREEBIE here:

informal-math-assessments-for-special-education

How to Use the Assessments

Follow these instructions when preparing to assess your students.  Print the assessment and give your student the assessment equivalent to their CURRENT grade level. (Allow your student scratch paper if needed). (NOTE: This is not a timed test but you may want to document when your student started and completed the assessment for data purposes.)

Watch your student complete the first 4 questions. If your student has any errors on the first 4 questions, stop the assessment and reverse one grade level. (For example: If your 6th grade student begins the 6th grade assessment and gets the first 2 questions wrong, stop the assessment and give the student a 5th grade assessment).
Continue reversing until your student gets the first 4 questions correct. After getting the first 4 questions correct, allow the student enough time to complete THAT assessment. When they are finished, calculate the total percentage of the assessment. To be proficient at that grade level, students must have 80% or more of the questions correct.

You can use the data sheets provided as documentation for IEPs, progress monitoring, baseline data, etc. Use the data provided to help determine where the student is academically in the area of Math.

Want a workbook aligned with these assessments?

Click HERE to find out more about math intervention workbooks.

Looking For BASELINE DATA in Reading, Writing, and Math?

Click HERE to see how these assessments are used in special education baseline data collection.