Preassessment

9. Try a preassessment.

It would be helpful to give students a short preasessment roughly two weeks before you start the 5.4 unit. The data you collect from the preassessment can help you determine which students may need remediation for third and fourth grade skills, as well as students who have already mastered 5.4 skills and will need a challenge. You can expect to have students in both of these situations!

Preassessment recommendations

  1. Keep it short. You do not need more than one of each type of problem you want to gather data about. For computation, you might include one 2 x 2 digit multiplication problem and one 3 by 1 digit division problem. For problem solving, you might include one comparison subtraction problem with low numbers and and one division problem with low numbers. By using low numbers on the two practical problems, you have a better chance of identifying whether or not the student knows how to match a problem situation to a correct operation.


  1. See their thinking. In a virtual format, you will need to consider how you will help students make their thinking visible. Conducting a preassessment through Google Forms or Performance Matters will allow you to see their final answers but not their process. As alternatives, you might consider Jamboard, Flipgrid, Nearpod, or asking students to send a picture of their paper & pencil work.


  1. Follow up if needed. You may discover from your assessment that students don't know their multiplication facts. If this is the case, a follow up Zoom interview may be necessary to pinpoint which facts they have already mastered. You may also have students who show mastery of 2x2 digit multiplication and 3 by 1 digit division. If this is the case, you may consider following up with a 3x2 digit multiplication problem and a 3 by 2 or 4 by 2 digit division problem to see if these are already mastered as well. If you find that a student can already do all of these, you will want to provide further problem solving challenges from sites like Open Middle or NRICH while your class is learning these skills.