Math That Matters

Marian Small is the former dean of education at the University of New Brunswick and a longtime professor of mathematics education. She is widely known for her bestselling books and her in-district work with educators in the United States and Canada. Visit her website onetwoinfinity.ca for in-person and online professional development.

“ Math that Matters is an accessible, practical, and insightful book written for current (and future) math teachers about classroom assessment and feedback…The contribution of this book lies in the elegant way Small has distilled and packaged familiar ideas, and in the rich detail of the examples and illustrations that make the application of these ideas attractive and feasible. The book is a promising resource for teacher educators who want to introduce preservice and inservice teachers to current best practices for assessment and feedback in the mathematics classroom.”—Teachers College Record

• ContentsForeword by Damian Cooper ixPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xvii1 Linking Assessment and Feedback to Learning Goals 1How Assessment and Feedback Reflect Our Values 1What Does This Look Like (More Specifically)? 2Summary 92 Assessment for Learning, as Learning, and of Learning 10Assessment for Learning 10Assessment as Learning 15Assessment of Learning 21Summary 263 Feedback 28Types of Feedback 29Reactions to All Work 34Immediacy of Feedback 35Anticipating Errors 35Summary 384 Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Grade 3: Assessment and Feedback 40The Math That Matters 40Assessment for Learning and Feedback 45Assessment as Learning 53Assessment of Learning 53Summary 585 Number and Operations in Base Ten, Grade 4: Assessment and Feedback 59The Math That Matters 59Assessment for Learning and Feedback 64Assessment as Learning 73Assessment of Learning 74Summary 786 Geometry, Grade 5: Assessment and Feedback 79The Math That Matters 79Assessment for Learning and Feedback 82Assessment as Learning 91Assessment of Learning 92Summary 967 Ratios and Proportional Relationships, Grade 6: Assessment and Feedback 97The Math That Matters 97Assessment for Learning and Feedback 103Assessment as Learning 112Assessment of Learning 112Summary 1168 Statistics and Probability, Grade 7: Assessment and Feedback 117The Math That Matters 117Assessment for Learning and Feedback 126Assessment as Learning 133Assessment of Learning 134Summary 1389 Expressions and Equations, Grade 8: Assessment and Feedback 139The Math That Matters 139Assessment for Learning and Feedback 147Assessment as Learning 156Assessment of Learning 157Summary 16010 Conclusion 162Some Key Messages 162Instruction Versus Assessment 163An Assessment Plan 163References 165Index 167About the Author 171