| Recent studies indicate that students in the United States are not achieving sufficient skill in mathematics to meet the demands required of them both within and outside of school. One of the keys to preventing mathematics difficulties is to effectively identify those students who may be most at-risk for later failure before problems develop. As a result, there exists a need for assessment tools to aid in identifying these students and monitoring their growth in mathematics. This study examines the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of four experimental measures of early mathematics designed for use in early identification and formative evaluation. The measures were based on the principle of number sense and were designed to assess the informal mathematics children learn before they are able to do formal mathematics. Subjects were 52 first-grade students from a rural school district in Oregon. Results showed that the four experimental measures each had evidence of their reliability, validity, and sensitivity. The differences in the utility of each experimental measure is discussed from a reliability, validity, early identification, and sensitivity standpoint. Implications for practice are discussed. |
