Operations on Rational Numbers Mini-Assessment

Author: Student Achievement Partners

  • Description
  • Files

This mini-assessment is designed to illustrate aspects of standards 7.NS.A.1 and 7.NS.A.2, specifically the expectation that students add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers. This mini-assessment is designed for teachers to use either in the classroom, for self-learning, or in professional development settings to:

  • Evaluate students' progress toward some of the skills described by 7.NS.A.1 and 7.NS.A.2 in order to prepare to teach this material or to check for student ability to demonstrate the ability to compute with rational numbers;
  • Gain a better understanding of assessing computation with rational numbers; and
  • Illustrate CCSS-aligned assessment problems.

  • Making the Shifts

    How does this mini-assessment exemplify the instructional Shifts required by CCSSM?

    Focus Belongs to the major work of seventh grade
    Coherence Extends understandings of arithmetic and fractions from elementary grades to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers
    Rigor

    Conceptual Understanding: secondary in this mini-assessment

    Procedural Skill and Fluency: primary in this mini-assessment

    Application: not targeted in this mini-assessment
  • Noteworthy features of this resource
    • Mathematically:
      • Requires computation with a wide variety of rational numbers, including negative numbers, decimals, and fractions
      • Assesses the culmination of a lengthy learning progression by assessing computational fluency with all types of rational numbers
      • Allows for students to use strategies grounded in conceptual understanding to quickly determine the larger of a pair of numerical expressions
    • As a mini-assessment:
      • Allows the teacher to evaluate students on their skill with some of the content in 7.NS.A in order to prepare to teach 7.NS.A or to check student progress after teaching 7.NS.A
      • Is easily altered to allow for repeated use, ensuring that students are gaining adequate practice toward fluency
      • Takes a small amount of time to complete (5–10 minutes), allowing for quick assessment of procedural skill

Supplemental Resources