Do any of you give timed addition/subtraction test? If so, what is a good rule of thumb estimating the length of time and the number of problems? I gave 18 problems which consisted of adding a number to 1,2,3. Everyone completed it by 1.5 minutes. I gave them 3 minutes. Thanks
When we did it in 2nd grade, we gave them 3 minutes for addition and 5 minutes for subtraction. If the students are finishing it that fast and accurately, maybe provide them more challenging problems.
My sheets have 32 problems in 2 minutes... they can only miss one to pass... it starts with numbers plus and minus 0, then +/- 1, +/-2, etc... as they pass one sheet they go to the next level the following time we do it... we spend 6 minutes most days practicing with flash cards in partners... I would say about 1/3 pass most sheets on the first try, the rest take multiple tries to pass to the next level...
I practice and time test fact families. So a test would have 60 problems of the same family and no others. 1-2 minutes 25 correct in 1 minute 50 in two After they pass 2 families, I mix those two families for practice time and tests under the same circumstances. Once that's passed, they learn family 3 alone. Then practice and test on 1-3. And so on.
The tricky part of timed tests is that all students have different writing speeds and processing time. IMO I don't feel its an accurate way to assess students. I know that many children also feel high anxiety in these types of situations. Sometimes that can cause a negative opinion of mathematics. Please don't take this as an insult, but rather an opinion. :3)
Buttons I agree with you. Just because a child can't complete a certain number of problems in a certain amount of time does not mean they don't know their facts. I am still looking for way to assess students on their math facts other than using timed tests.
I agree! What works for me is to see how many numbers a student can write in one minute. Say it's 30. Then I set their goal a few under at 27. My goal with timed tests is to get the students to think in their heads whne they solely rely on manipulatives.
I don't call mine a timed test even though it's a test and it's timed. What I do is give more examples than anyone can answer in 3 minutes, progressive difficulty, and let the kids know right from the start that they're not expected to finish -- they just need to try to do as much as they can before the timer buzzes. They all know how far they got last time and they try to keep beating themselves. At the same time, no one has to feel pressured to finish within the time -- they know they're not supposed to. I'm not so comfortable with the idea of giving them something they know they can't do, but so far it's what works.
One Minute Math There is a program by Frank Schaeffer called One Minute Math that we use. 1 minute to do 30 problems, systematic introduction of 1 math fact at a time, tested daily. We let them miss up to 3 problems because 27 right out of 30 problems is 90% correct.
90% in my district is a solid B. I give a 2 minute quiz, 30 problems. All subtraction then all addition, on different days. The kids have to answer all 30 correct to move onto the next level. Our district had us give benchmarks this past week, where the kids were to solve 30 addition and subtraction problems on the same page in 1 minute. This is 2nd grade.
