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Foreword

This resource shows teachers how assessment can be part of instruction that provides rich information to teachers on students' mathematical thinking, and to show how their performances and achievement can be related to the levels of the Mathematics Curriculum and Standards Framework. Assessment information obtained from student work on these tasks can be used to guide subsequent teaching and learning activity. It is also possible for these tasks to be used at the end of a topic or section of work to indicate a student's level of understanding and what the student has achieved.

Mathematics Assessment Tasks for Years P - 2, Space and Measurement and data has been developed specifically for teachers of Preparatory Year through to Year 2. It is designed to:

• assist teachers in assessing student performance against the standards component of the Mathematics CSF in the Space strand and the Measurement and data strand, and
• provide models for teachers to follow in developing their own school-based assessment tasks.

While it is expected that achievement at level 1 will be typical of most students at some stage during their Preparatory year, it is also clear that many students will have progressed beyond this in some or all strands by the end of their first year at school. This will similarly be evident for some students in Year 2. This sort of progression is illustrated in recorded responses of student work selected for this resource. Teachers will need to be alert to the range of achievement likely to be present in a given year level when designing assessment tasks.

The work of Pam Montgomery and Dr Max Stephens has been central to the development of this valuable teacher resource. The contributions of teachers and schools who worked on trialing and refining the assessment activities published here are acknowledged.

David Leigh-Lancaster
Manager, Mathematics