The MMaRS team submission, led by PhD student Robyn Pinilla, prepared a poster presentation focused on the iterative design process used to gather validity evidence for K-2 mathematics assessments. The purpose of these assessments is to measure student understanding and skills in numeric relational reasoning and spatial reasoning. Both these foundational concepts are developmentally important for K-2 students. The assessments developed from this work can guide teacher instructional practices.
During the fall of 2019, the MMaRS team conducted cognitive interviews centered on Spatial Reasoning to help provide evidence for the MMaRS Spatial Reasoning Learning Progressions. Collecting these data helped us investigate the ordering, conceptualization, and interconnectedness of the MMaRS Spatial Reasoning Learning Progressions. Cognitive interview protocols were carefully crafted to probe students’ reasoning skills for each of the spatial skills identified on the learning progressions. The MMaRS team conducted a small number of “try-outs” with children in Grades K-2 using the cognitive interview protocols. These “try-outs” provided insight into any refinements that needed to be made to the protocols before collecting data from a larger number of students during the winter of 2020. Thank you to all of our research participants!
