Tips for administering the competency exams to determine placement
The competency exams were created for the benefit of the teacher and the student, to determine what level of mathematics the student has mastered so they will know in which book to begin. As the student does an exam, watch them to observe how confident they are about their math knowledge. For example, if a student gets the correct answer to an addition problem, but counts on his fingers to find the answer, then he needs to cover this material again.
If they aren't functioning at an acceptable level, then place them in the respective book where they are struggling. For example, if they are having difficulty with the division problems in the Delta competency test, they should begin in the Delta level, since this is where that concept is presented. However, if they pass the Delta exam, move on to the next test which would be Epsilon.
If you don’t know which test to begin with, there is a one page pretest which tests a student’s general math knowledge and will assist you in deciding which specific competency exam to take.
The competency exams are made up of two parts. The first part tests computation skills, while the second part (word problems) focuses on thinking skills, and tests the student's understanding of the concepts.
If you are making the transition from the Classic to the newer curriculum, the Transition page has information to help you.
Click on a link below for the test you want:
If you aren't sure which Exam to start with, start with the Pretest.
The tests are in pdf format, and can be opened with Adobe® Acrobat Reader®. If you don't have the Adobe® Reader®, you can download a free copy here. |
