Teach Primary Issue 18.7

Maths assessments are notoriously difficult to get right. You need them to be robust and reliable, tried and tested, and provide you with the accurate information to support your own judgements and make well-informed decisions about your pupils’ skills. Maths assessments need to check for understanding, monitor learning and provide timely feedback and next steps. They also need to measure curriculum effectiveness. So where do we look? The New Group Maths Test (NGMT) is a new digital, adaptive, termly test that measures maths attainment, pinpoints gaps in conceptual knowledge and puts meaningful information in the hands of both specialist and non-specialist teachers. This new test is a dynamic and effective way of touching base, eliciting evidence of learning on an individual and whole cohort level and is an efficient way of getting a sense of children’s understanding of concepts. It is perfect for spotting children not hitting milestones, highlighting misconceptions, and recognising children with specific or more wide-ranging gaps in knowledge. It’s also valuable in pinpointing children’s understanding of maths vocabulary and highlighting potential concerns surrounding particular concepts. What’s different about this test? As one size does not fit all, NGMT uses adaptive testing by adjusting the difficulty of questions based on a pupil’s responses, providing a personalised test experience using clear and unambiguous questions that test specific concepts and skills. As children do well, the test questions get harder and if they do less well, the content difficulty is reduced and a test outcome is decided when a child’s level settles out. The test platform is clear and without gimmicks and so looks and feels sharp and formal but still user-friendly. The NGMT test works efficiently because it ensures that children’s time is not spent answering questions that are too hard or much too easy. It is auto marked and easy to use and it therefore delivers data you can trust, in less time. A very broad range of skills can also be tested so this is an engaging and meaningful test for all learners. If you are looking to empower pupils and quickly identify and close their knowledge gaps then this is the test for you. You view the results of the test in a dynamic reporting platform called Testwise where you can decide how to display the data. For example, you may decide to display results in terms of gender, Year group, class, nationality, SEND, or English as an additional or second language. The NGMT test and Testwise reporting combine seamlessly and provide precise information about how a child is tracking and achieving, with data that can be explored in far greater depth. It is also a more supportive experience for each pupil. The adaptive algorithm is an underused technology in the world of nationally standardised tests. Real benefits include a more engaging test experience that produces a detailed and accurate picture of maths attainment enabling teachers to more precisely identify needs and target teaching where it is needed most. NGMT is a maths monitoring tool that is truly personalised for children and their capabilities. It is a highly workable, desirable and effective assessment solution. By utilising pupils’ zone of proximal development and adjusting to each pupil’s answers, the test can support learning effectively through ‘just-right-for-me’ learning opportunities. Amaths monitoring tool that is truly personalised for students AT A GLANCE MATHS Termly, holistic maths assessment for pupils aged six–12 years. Enables all learners to achieve through a powerful, adaptive algorithm. Designed to establish an accurate measure of current maths attainment. Identifies areas of relative strength and areas for further development. From £7 + VAT per pupil | gl-assessment.co.uk/ngmt High-quality questions for the enhancement of learning Provides a valid and reliable picture of maths attainment Provides inclusive content for all learners Gives a holistic view of learners’ strengths and improvement areas Facilitates responsive teaching and a pedagogy of engagement Helps teachers focus on what matters to bolster maths ...you are looking to boost maths assessment through a hyper- personalised pathway approach to help children review their knowledge, reflect, and improve the quality of their learning. VERD I CT UPGRADE I F . . . REVIEWED BY: JOHN DABELL NewGroup Maths Test 80 | www.teachwire.net RE V I EWS