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The purpose of this Math EnCounters blog is to help us develop a professional community for Early Childhood educators to fine tune their professional attitudes, behaviors, and classroom instruction concerning math education.
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At what grade level are timed tests effective?
What grade do you teach?
22 comments:
TIMED TESTS FOR TYKES?I agree with the teacher that math time tests can be stressful for young children. In the past our school had a set time for timed tests that were conducted on the intercom. It got too difficult to find a unified time to this so it was dropped. I think it is best to play games that the children can use manipulatives to solve the fact problems. Then as they continue these games the memorization of these facts come naturally. We have a computer program called Math Facts in a Flash where children have five minutes to complete 40 problems.(You can actually set the amount of time.) The children progress as they achieve each level. There is no pressure with this "timed test" and the children seem to enjoy it.
I do not use time tests,. Most of my students are autistic and do not respond well at all to the pressure of timing anything. There is very little straight computation problems even found on the ISTEP. Most are story problems. Knowing the facts does not help you if you do not know how to use them.
I do not believe in using time tests. I do not see the benefit from stressing children with math skills. Every child learns differently. We need to observe how our students learn and work with their strengths. Playing games and using manipulatives are beneficial. Timing students and stressing them is not helping to learn skills for the ISTEP testing.
Our school is a big proponent of timed tests in first-grade with huge awards being given each quarter for those who are Math Wizards. While it is a real ego-booster for those who are math-smart, for all else, it is an ego-buster. Even at the Kindergarten level I have heard students tell me they need to get all "4s" on their report card so they can get money from their parents. This is just way too much pressure at this young age. If students understand math concepts, but don't deal well with pressure, the timed tests are of little value anyway. I would much prefer students be able to demonstrate their math knowledge in much more authentic ways. Use of the computer to complete timed tests for students who enjoy them is fine, but I think the whole reward/punishment system is setting up kids for failure.
Timed tests are not done building wide at our school. Individual teachers may do them, but it is not mandated. I don't do them with my first graders. I am not as concerned about how quickly they can spit out a math fact as I am about their understanding of addition and subtraction. We do use Math Facts in a Flash when we go to computer lab. I think it is helpful for the students and me to see how well they know their facts, but we don't get stressed out about it.
I think math timed test are stressful for many children and can create math anxiety. Our school does not use timed tests as a school wide program. Individual teachers may do them on their own. I think using games and manipulatives to solve problems and engage students is a much better way to go.
I can see how timed math tests can be both beneficial and detrimental. I have not personally used them in my classroom, but have worked at some schools in the past that have. They are great for those students that can grasp the concept of addition and subtraction, but to those that struggle with this, they are very stressful. I believe that students should know math facts like the back of their hands, but cannot say that timing them on how fast they can get them done is really helping with this.
I do not utilize time testing with the deaf/ hard of hearing students in our program. I am more interested in the content of what they understand, not how they perform under pressure. I feel time tests just increases peer pressure and humiliation among the students! Each child learns at a different pace and should be encourage to apply the concepts of math processes in their daily life through hands on activities.
I did not do math time tests last year. Students were asked to do computation work sheets at their own pace. We also played lots of the Everyday Math games that helped practice computation. Some teachers at my school do time tests.
in the first half of the 20th century it was important to be able to do math in one's head, spell accurately,have nice penmanship to use to write a handwritten note and to be able to keep up with changes. obviously, our culture has changed and these things do not hold the prominence they once did; except for keeping up with change. keeping up with change is of paramount importance in today's society. information travels at the speed of electrons. speed is of great importance in our culture--the faster the better. If you doubt that last statement just think how you feel when your computer is having a slow day. does speed help johnny learn? that depends on a lot of things. does a timed test let johnny know that there is a performance criteria? yes. is that something one needs to know in our society. yes it is. timed tests, or speed of performance is important. we all know, of course, that it is not the only thing of importance.
Timed tests can be "fun" for some children and some children it is very stressful... Our school does not use them in every grade level but I do think that in some point in time that every child should know their facts very quickly. Real life math example... Too many times I've purchased something and the young cashier can't add or subtract quickly and accurately. Knowing math facts quickly and accurately when a child is older will help prepare them for the day to day real life situations.
I believe that timed tests are beneficial when students only try to beat their own times. It should not be based on rewards for achieving perfect scores. If any reward is given, it should be for showing improvement in comparison to to student's own previous test.
I do not agree with time tests for children. I have always struggled with math and I specifically remember taking timed tests in school. They were always stressful for me. I think that tests themselves can be a great tool to find out what students know. Tests should be used in addition to a variety of other assessments. We do not use timed tests at our school.
No I don't think they are helpful, just stressful. I didn't do any time test.
I am not in favor of timed tests. although we do not use them in preschool i have very vivid memories of taking them in elementary school as well as the fear and nervousness that came with it. at the end of the minute i was either fairly pleased or very disappointed. it was way too stressful.
I've been to a few schools in our system and I've seen different degrees of importance and reasoning placed on timed tests. I do see the value in students knowing math facts, but when I do math timed tests they are more as a game for fun. No pressure is put on students. To me it's just another tool to meet the needs of students who enjoy learning in this way. Of course my main focus is on understanding, not memorizing.
Connie says...I agree with the article that time tests are not a good tool for accurate and effective assessment. I teach Special Needs students with a variety of disabilities (LD, MI, Autistic) so they do not respond well to pressure. A time test is not a accurate "reading" or assessment for their individual functioning levels.
TIMED TESTS FOR TYKES? I aggree with the teacher that math time tests can be too stressful for young children. One of my first years of teaching I was required to go to training with my school for timed tests even though I was teaching Kindergarten. With these young children whom of which had never been to preschool or held a crayon or pencil in their hands with a pincer grasp, I found that some of the children would just get the pencil in their hands ready to write when the timer would go off. So my argument at that time and still is are we testing fine motor skills or actual math knowledge. Since this bad experience, I have never done a timed test again. I also know of a student who is now in 8th grade. This student is a straight A student, however she had a terrible time with timed tests because she writes slow and precise. The timed tests were devastating to her self-esteem, resulting in many nights of crying. She could do the math facts by flash cards extreemly fast but couldn't pass the tests in time to go to the party. She was devastated. I think that there should be more than one way to show the students knowledge and adaptations need to be made for each child's needs.
Time Tests and chalkboard races are the things that made me a math phobic.
I was afraid of timed tests when I was a child, so I am against it because there are some children that take a while to get it.
I agree with many of the comments posted. I believe timed tests are fun and challenging for students who are math smart but for children who struggle with computation skills asking them to compute under the duress of a specific amount time only activates the amygdala to report a 911 situation. Timed tests actually inhibit learning for the students who are still developing the pattern for addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. Only when this skill becomes a program can we ask for someone to demonstrate they can do it within a specific amount of time. Deni said it best, "Time Tests and chalkboard races are the things that made me a math phobic."
What a range of opinions! Just as we want children to develop fluency AND automaticity when they are reading, we want children to be be fluent and quick in computation (yes, Dorothy, it IS maddening to wait for change when the cash register is on the fritz at Walgreen's!!). However, ease and speed happen when built on a strong foundation of conceptual understanding.
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