NECAP Mathematics Grade-Level Expectations

Introduction

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The New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) Mathematics GLEs have been developed as a means to identify the concepts and skills expected of all students for large-scale assessment of mathematics in grades 3–8; they are not intended to represent the full mathematics curriculum at each grade level, but are meant to capture concepts and skills related to “big ideas” of mathematics that can be assessed in an on-demand setting that focus the curriculum, but do not narrow the curriculum. Each partner state intends to develop a set of local GLEs to accompany these GLEs for local assessment purposes that includes the concepts and skills not easily assessable in an on-demand setting, and therefore not included in this set of GLEs.

The NECAP GLEs in this document can be interpreted as describing grade-level expectations for the end of the grade identified, or in the beginning of the next grade.

As you review the NECAP Mathematics Grade-Level Expectations the following are important to understand.

1) The NECAP GLEs are organized into four content strands: Number and Operations; Functions and Algebra; Data, Statistics, and Probability; and Geometry and Measurement.

2) Problem solving, reasoning, connections, and communication are embedded throughout this set of GLEs instead of as separate strands.

3) Each GLE includes a bolded statement called the “stem.” Each “stem” is the same or similar across the grades for a given GLE, and is meant to communicate the main curriculum and instructional focus of the GLE across the grades.

4) The unbolded text within a GLE indicates how the GLE is specified at a given grade level.

5) At each grade level differences from previous grades are underlined. (Note: Sometimes nothing is underlined within a GLE. In these situations examine other GLEs across the strand to identify the differences.)

6) Each GLE is coded for the content strand, grade level, and the GLE “stem” number (e.g., M(F&A)–6–3: The “M” stands for mathematics, the “F&A” stands for the functions and algebra strand, the “6” stands for grade 6, and the “3” stands for stem 3).

7) An empty cell means that the GLE “stem” will not be assessed at that grade on the state-level on-demand assessment, but is reserved for local curriculum and assessment.

8) Unless otherwise specified the number parameters for a given grade in M(N&O)–X–1 apply to all GLEs at that grade level.

9) Only number concepts identified at a grade level in the NECAP Numbers and Operations strand will be assessed and reported. However, all number concepts acquired up to a grade can be used in other content strands unless otherwise specified.

10) All the concepts and skills identified at a given grade level are “fair game” for assessment purposes. However, conjunctions in this document have specific meaning. The conjunction “and” separates parts of a GLE that will be assessed every year (to the extent possible), while the conjunction “or” separates parts of the GLE that may be assessed each year, but will be more likely to be assessed over several years. In some situations “orsc” is used. While students will have choices on strategies they use or methods to communicate their thinking throughout the assessment, there are special cases that the New England partners thought it was necessary to communicate to the test developer that students should not be required to use a specific method (e.g., “…writes in words orsc symbols…”).

Sample NECAP Mathematics GLE

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© January 2005. Produced in partnership with New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Departments of Education, Education Development Center, and the Center for Assessment. Permission to photocopy is granted for use in individual classrooms and professional development settings.