3 Reasons We Can Do Better than Timed Tests to Measure Fluency in Math
My daughter’s homework can have a huge affect on her emotions for the afternoon. She doesn’t love homework on a good day, but there are days that she comes home with a dark cloud over her head, caused by the assignment of the day.
This week she had one that brought out the worst in her, making her snap at everyone and storm off to the car, throwing her backpack in the trunk before buckling in and pouting. Before I even have the chance to ask, she states in an frustrated, exasperated tone, “We have to do a timed test today!”
I sighed, knowing that the teacher innocently gave our family a difficult night ahead. My daughter can do basic facts, but she isn’t very quick with them yet. But more importantly, when she is told she is being timed, she shuts down, answers incorrectly, and starts to literally scribble on the paper rather than solving the problems. None of this is useful for learning math.
First, timed tests don’t measure what most teachers think they do.
Timed tests are commonly thought to assess fluency, but fluency is a different skill than memorization entirely. When teachers talk about fluency in reading, a big component of what they are looking for is how quickly students can read the words…
