Early Math Measurement Research

Marsico Institute develops and disseminates math measures that provide well-researched and effective assessment, which will enhance education for young children. The development and learning of math is complex and therefore needs high quality assessment, providing researchers and teachers with data about what children know and can do and what they still need to learn.

• Early Mathematics Assessment: Continued Evaluation of the Research-Based Early Mathematics Assessment (REMA) and Creation of the REMA-Short Form [In Progress]

  Developed to study children’s development and learning across all important areas of early math, the Research-Based Early Math Assessment emerged from over two decades of research and development. All versions of the REMA are diagnostic assessments measuring children’s mathematical knowledge and skills along research-based developmental progressions (National Research Council, 2007; Sarama, 2009). The measures use an individual interview format with explicit protocol, coding, and scoring procedures. 

• The CREMAT Project—Using Rule Space and Poset-Based Adaptive Testing Methodologies to Identify Ability Patterns in Early Mathematics and Create a Comprehensive Mathematics Ability Test [Completed]

  Increased interest in early mathematics has led to an increased need for assessments. This increased need for assessment calls for better assessments, which are diagnostic, providing researchers and teachers with data about what children know and can do and what they still need to learn. This needs to be done efficiently, so that assessments take up too much valuable school time. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the CREMAT Project has enabled Drs. Sarama and Clements, along with colleagues. Curtis Tatsuoka and Kikumi Tatsuoka, to create and test a new early mathematics assessment. This assessment uses innovative statistical and computer technology to give teachers more useful and detailed information about children's knowledge of mathematics. These assessments are fast but fully informative and help teachers know their students and support their use of the powerful teaching strategy of 'formative assessment' or individualizing learning.

• TEAM - Tools for Early Assessment in Mathematics [Completed]

  Tools for Early Assessment in Math (TEAM) is an assessment screening tool for students in grades pre-k to 2. This tool can be used to determine where a student is proficient in math skills by providing meaningful diagnostic reports and by prescribing additional activities to accelerate their learning of these skills based on the reported data. (Clements, Sarama, & Wolfe, 2011)

• Early Mathematics Assessment: Validation of the Brief Form of a Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Mathematics Measure [Completed]

  In recent years, there has been increased interest in improving early mathematics curricula and instruction. Subsequently, there has also been a rise in demand for better early mathematics assessments, as most current measures are limited in their content and/or their sensitivity to detect differences in early mathematics development among young children. In this article, using data from two large samples of diverse populations of prekindergarten and kindergarten children, we provide evidence regarding the psychometric validity of a new theory-based early mathematics assessment. The new measure is the short form of a longer, validated measure. Our results suggest the short form assessment is valid for assessing prekindergarten and kindergarten children's numeracy and geometry skills and is sensitive to differences in early mathematics development among young children (Weiland, et al., 2012).

• Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics—Environment and Teaching (COEMET) [Completed]

  The COEMET was created based on a body of research on the characteristics and teaching strategies of effective teachers of early childhood mathematics. Each item is connected to one or more of these studies. Each construct is assessed by considering various indicators; for instance, when determining a quality score for Eliciting Children’s Solution Methods, the observer considers the extent to which the teacher asked children to share, clarify, and/or justify their ideas; the teacher’s ability to facilitate children’s responding, as well as the teacher’s encouragement of children to listen and evaluate others’ thinking/ideas.

  Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2000/2014). COEMET: The Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics Environment and Teaching instrument. Denver, CO: University of Denver.