| NumPA (Numeracy Project Assessment) – Diagnostic Interview | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Area | Mathematics-Numeracy |
| Year level | 0-10 |
| NZ origin? | Yes |
| Standardised? | No , although national performance data is available. |
| Administration to individual or group? | Individual |
| What does it assess? | It is used to assess number knowledge and operational strategy in number. |
| Purpose | The main purpose of the interview is to familiarise teachers with the Number Framework by working through the interview with a number of students. If the Number Framework is new to teachers it is recommended that they carry out approximately 6 interviews with students. It is not viable as a diagnostic tool for classroom teachers to use with their whole class on a regular basis. |
| Validity | Items are tested for validity. |
| Reliability | There is evidence of test/retest reliability, although this is dependent on teachers making the correct analysis. |
| What measures does it give? | Stages for number knowledge and operational strategies |
| How long does it take to administer? | Can be time consuming to administer, particularly with students working at the upper stages of the Number Framework. |
| How much training is needed? | Some training and practice in test administration and analysis |
| Scoring and data analysis | Individual record sheets provide a comprehensive record of development in both knowledge and strategy. |
| Does it provide 'what next' strategies? | Yes , there are activities suggested for each stage in the Numeracy Development Projects books, available from the NZ Maths website. |
| Is it available in te reo Maori? | Yes |
| Cost? | No cost. Project materials can be accessed on the NZ Maths website. |
| Author, date of publication and publisher | Materials for the Numeracy Project written and published through the Ministry of Education from 2002. |
| Availability | Available from NZ Maths. |
| Further Information | The Diagnostic Interview has three forms:
The Strategy Window is a series of questions that increase in difficulty and are used to determine which form of the assessment to use with each student. The assessment materials required for the Diagnostic Interview are:
NumPA is an integral part of the Numeracy Project. Through their professional development teachers learn to use the assessment as part of their regular classroom teaching. For schools on the numeracy project, the NumPA results are entered on a national website database and record students' progress. Schools can access the national data to establish targets for planning and reporting purposes. Teachers group students according to ability and use activities that will support students in both strategy and knowledge development. |