This four-part task addresses multiple standards. It also provides a novel situation in an authentic context that all students can understand, even though it is not likely to be in their everyday experience.
According to the CCSSM, students in grade 6 extend their previous understandings of number and the ordering of numbers to the full system of rational numbers, which includes negative rational numbers, and in particular negative integers. They reason about the order and absolute value of rational numbers. Absolute value has not historically been included in most states’ standards for grade 6.
This task involves a rare instance of the authentic use of signed numbers and absolute value—a departure from what appears either in instruction or in assessment. Part a allows for actual placement of values on a number line rather than simply identifying their location, as has been typical in current high-stakes assessments. Part b requires students to understand and analyze statements of order. Parts c and d require significant reasoning about the meaning of the values within the specified context, thereby providing an opportunity to assess conceptual understanding in a machine-scored format.
This task is designed to surface issues for educators and researchers both about productive uses of next-generation tools and methods for assessment and about the instructional changes required to enable students to develop and demonstrate mastery of new concepts. Informal observation in pilot test sites indicates that students found this task to be engaging. This kind of engagement and other lessons learned from the field test bring up further questions calling for research:
- Does engagement on assessment tasks increase the likelihood that students will demonstrate what they know?
- Will students require more time to learn new tools that are available to explore concepts?
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