1. Does this assessment measure the “how” and “why” in addition to the “what?”

However useful standardized and multiple-choice tests might be for placement and grade-level analyses, they typically fail to surface how students think about the problems they’re solving. That’s one reason why, during the pandemic, teachers began “ditching answer-getting math tests” and deployed methods of assessment focused on students’ explanations. Along those lines, education leaders recently began calling for a new direction in assessment, as evidenced by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s recent announcement regarding the Innovative Assessment testing pilot.

Fully assessing students’ math strategies as well as their answers is time-consuming for teachers. Fortunately, advanced technology tools provide more nuanced assessments that surface insights about each student’s problem-solving processes. While traditional digital resources focus only on correct answers, innovative personalized learning platforms and educational apps offer students real-time feedback that develops their reasoning and critical thinking skills. This shift to focusing on the “how” and “why” of their math answers ensures students understand that success in math is about being a good thinker, not merely being a human calculator.

2. Does this assessment provide data and insights teachers can use to intervene sooner?

Throughout my career developing education technologies, educators have asked whether our math products have embedded tests. I’ve always responded with, “Why do you want to test students more?” They then clarify that they want data about students’ prior knowledge, proficiency, and growth, and they assume tests are the best means of generating that data because they are the prevalent math assessment format.

Fortunately, new technologies enable innovative assessment formats that gather deeper evidence of understanding while generating more robust, frequent, and longitudinal insights about student learning that teachers can use daily. Instead of waiting until the next high-stakes benchmark, these digital learning resources can provide actionable insights at the district, classroom and student level, ensuring educators know which concepts students are struggling with and recommending lessons to address those challenges. Administrators and teachers get the useful data they want—not the tests they don’t.

3. Does this assessment reduce anxiety and cultivate curiosity?

Eliminating stress and sparking curiosity are keys to student engagement and learning. Unfortunately, math assessments typically increase stress and reduce curiosity—most students think math class is a place where they are given answers to questions they’ve never asked. Because students learn what teachers care about by looking at what is put in the grade book, we can use new assessment approaches to change this mindset.

More about math: Redefining math by answering “When are we ever gonna use this?” in new ways

For example, using a wider variety of non-traditional formative assessments can curb some of the anxiety surrounding math tests and quizzes. By providing constructive feedback “just in time” along the way, educators can reduce stress by supporting students’ improvement without making every assessment a consequential event. In addition, teachers can create assessment items that invite students to ask questions about a situation to assess their curiosity and understanding of the situation.

Every student should feel engaged and confident as they develop their capabilities in math. This feeling is especially necessary during assessments because stressed students cannot perform their best. By using different forms of assessment, we can send a powerful message to students that success in math is not confined to memorizing formulas and remembering procedures—it’s about how they think about problems and remain engaged as they grow.

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Common complaints such as “geometry proofs seemed pointless” and “when letters started showing up in math, I gave up,” reveal that we need to improve how we talk about math with our students.

Changing this mindset requires that everyone—educators, parents, caregivers, and community members—work together. We need to reframe and accurately define what math is: a tool for using and improving logical thinking skills to make better sense of the world.

As a first step, we need to re-align on how we’ll respond to the most commonly heard frustration about math: “When are we ever going to use this?” Here are some new suggestions for how to answer this question the next time someone asks it:

“That’s a great question! Being curious is an essential part of math. You’re probably asking this because at some point you were told, ‘math is important because you’ll use it in the real world.’ First off, whoever told you that had good intentions. They wanted to motivate you because sometimes math will be challenging and we can more easily push through challenges when there’s a meaningful purpose or reward on the other side.

“Second, you deserve an apology because that statement is a half-truth. The true part is that math involves studying things like numbers, 3D objects, patterns, graphs and how to think logically about them. You’ll encounter all of those things nearly every day of your life, but probably not in the way we study them in school. What’s not true is the implication that you will see every math topic from school at some point later in life. If you study trigonometry in school, you might never see it or have a use for it ever again. But that doesn’t mean studying trigonometry is a waste of time. And it certainly doesn’t mean trigonometry isn’t part of the ‘real world.’

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“So here’s a better way to think about math. In math class, we’re learning a structured approach to logical reasoning and problem-solving. You’re doing this all the time in your other classes. The difference in math is that we’re analyzing logical things like numbers and shapes, which are less complex and more predictable than what you study in other classes. That makes math topics easier to reason about and understand.

“For example, the duck-billed platypus is classified as a mammal, but it has a bill and lays eggs, which are usually characteristics of birds. Living organisms aren’t logically consistent in the same way number systems are. In math, there aren’t outliers when classifying objects; all triangles have exactly three sides, and there’s no ‘duck-billed triangle’ that breaks the rules. In life and other subjects, there will usually be too many variables and unknowns to draw exact logical conclusions, like when meteorologists forecast a 50% chance of rain. But in math, we analyze simple things so we can also become better thinkers about more complex things.”

In addition to aligning on this narrative, districts can further reframe students’ mindsets about math by using standards-aligned content designed for diverse students that makes math more relatable, relevant, and engaging. Administrators can also leverage professional development that invites teachers to reflect on their own math mindsets and experiences overcoming math challenges so that we can better empathize with and support students. Finally, education technology tools can help students reason logically and make sense of math concepts with inherently engaging tasks and games based on real-world examples.

By defining math, its purpose, and its value accurately, we can shift students’ mindsets to be more positive about math and how it helps them in contexts far beyond the classroom.

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Fortunately, administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, parents, caregivers and curriculum developers have the power to change this narrative. Here are three steps to help schools achieve these goals:

Step 1: Provide educators with strong resources and support

Teachers are the most effective professionals in developing students’ math confidence and identity. Each day, they affirm and support students’ mindsets in math. To empower students, district leaders must first empower teachers with resources that both improve achievement and cultivate a positive math mindset.

While printed curricular materials and digital programs need to be aligned with state standards and research-based pedagogical principles, districts should also evaluate resources based on how well they support students’ confidence and sense of belonging in math. After materials have been adopted, districts should focus on successful implementation and professional learning to ensure consistency across classrooms that will lead to these outcomes.

To that end, districts should offer relevant resources for ongoing professional development to help teachers stay current on best practices that create dynamic and inclusive learning environments where all students feel like they belong and can be successful.

Step 2: Incorporate the right tools to focus on critical thinking

Many students who have difficulty learning the computation aspects and “basics” of mathematics are often wrongly forced to just keep working on computation until they “get it.” As Wiggins and McTighe noted in Schooling by Design: “Because they are less likely to have acquired the basics on the same schedule as more advanced learners, struggling learners are often confined to an educational regimen of low-level activities, rote memorization of discrete facts, and mind-numbing skill-drill worksheets. The unfortunate reality is that many of these students will never get beyond the first rung of the ladder and, therefore, have minimal opportunities to use what they are learning meaningfully. Who wouldn’t be inclined to drop out under such conditions?” (p. 45)

Unfortunately, most supplemental online math programs have simply digitized this skill-drill work. We should want and expect more for our students. Technology should be used to free teachers to engage students in more critical thinking experiences where they focus on ideas and skills that AI and calculators can’t do.

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Without putting a burden on teachers’ time for assessment and grading, truly adaptive education technologies can use real-time strategy and error analysis to identify areas where a student may be struggling or excelling. Teachers can use these insights about student thinking to provide personalized support and interventions that improve students’ confidence by addressing their specific needs soon after they surface.

Step 3: Measure what matters—critical thinking, confidence and curiosity

While test scores are one metric used to measure the proficiency of students and evaluate curricular resources, we also need to reduce math anxiety, improve students’ confidence, and reframe how we define and engage with math, so students are inspired and curious in class.

Some technology tools can also improve critical thinking and confidence because they allow for the creation of interactive visualizations and simulations that help students more deeply understand and make sense of mathematical concepts. In some cases, digital visualizations and animations will provide insights about math concepts that can’t be gleaned from physical manipulatives.

As districts work to empower the next generation of students with confidence and skills in all subjects, we need to change math education by replacing students’ fear and uncertainty with confidence and success. This means all of us belong in mathematics and can experience success under the right conditions. We’ll know we’ve achieved our goal when neither students nor adults ever say, “I’m not a math person.”

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