The following book was developed in a cross-sectoral project, Cognitive diagnostic assessment in numeracy, funded by the Australian Government, Education Queensland, Queensland Catholic Education Commission and Independent Schools Queensland, and was provided free to all schools in Queensland in 2008.
Developing Mathematics Understanding Through Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment Tasks (PDF file, 6.8MB)
The book contains Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment Tasks (CDAT) to elicit students’ understanding of the important mathematical concepts and processes that are required for processing whole numbers, fractions and probability effectively.
The CDAT tests are designed to give teachers insight into what their students know before teaching has taken place (entry knowledge) and after teaching has been completed (exit knowledge). Each test is administered to students before new learning to elicit each student’s entry knowledge and is then repeated after teaching has been completed to determine each student’s exit knowledge. These latter tests indicate those students who need more support.
CDAT can provide a vehicle for deepening teachers’ understanding of core ideas in elementary mathematics and consequently for modifying or extending their instruction. CDAT can also provide teachers with insights into how students learn those ideas, particularly when students’ solution strategies are discussed. Thus, CDAT provide a springboard for intervention and prevention.
Excel files for recording student data for the Number, Common Fractions and Decimal Fractions tests are available from the YuMi Deadly Centre. Please contact us if you would like these files emailed to you.
Please note that one of the answers given in the CDAT book is incorrect: On page 124, the answer to Number 5B, question 6 (c) should be 704,750,016 (not 794,750,016).This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the Commonwealth of Australia acting through the Department of Education and Training. The views expressed in this work do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training.