This section gives examples of formative assessments that can be used for subitising and early number sense. They are not definitive and should be adapted to suit your purpose. A detailed description of the types of assessments can be found here along with examples, advantages and disadvantages; this page only considers assessments for subitising and early number sense
Observational assessments
Observational assessments can be conducted at any time and are ‘non-invasive’ – children are observed during lessons, group work or continuous provision. Observational assessments can be of ‘spur of the moment’ occurrences – a child may spontaneously count, or line up numbers or use fingers / resources to demonstrate subitising or early number sense, or, they can be planned as part of normal routine/teaching – a teacher or TA may observe children during an adult-led session and note how they respond to problems / questions. Two examples are given below.
A large group observational assessment (of subitising 1-100) This assessment could be conducted with a large group or naturally as you conduct your lessons, make observations (in group work and/or in continuous provision) and ask children to explain their mathematical thinking. The example we give covers all of Table 1. Early recognition of number and subitising – Learning trajectory, so you would typically choose which columns and descriptions are appropriate for your children (possibly one or two columns over a period of time). It is essentially an observational assessment, so you use it as you go about your normal teaching and learning routines, you do not need to take children aside. However, you may wish to use it with resources e.g. you could show children sets of objects for 2 seconds and then ask them to show fingers, objects, numerals to match, you could then also show larger sets of objects in a patterns e.g. rekenrek or tens frame
You can access this assessment here
subitising observational assessment 1-100
A small group observational assessment (of early number sense and perceptual subitising to 5) This assessment could be conducted with a larger group and naturally as you conduct your lessons or with smaller groups or even individuals. The example we give considers the different ways numbers are used in the environment and perceptual subitising to 5. Some ideas around capturing children’s understandings of number in the environment are also included below the table, as parent observations may be useful here too. Numbers in the environment are discussed more fully in workshop 2.
You can access this assessment here
observational assessment of early number skills and perceptual subitising to 5
Structured assessments (using activities / resources)
Structured assessments are specifically designed for assessment purposes considering aspects of mathematical understandings in detail. They are typically conducted outside of the whole group teaching sessions / lessons with small groups of children or individuals. Children’s responses are recorded in detail.
The two examples below can be adapted for any number range – the first is a list of pre-defined tasks with the flexibility to record and interpret responses, whereas the second is scripted with a range of responses from the child and the assessor selects one option.
Structured assessment (of subitising to 10) This example is specifically designed to assess subitising to 10. It describes the process of assessment and leaves space for you or another adult to write in the children’s responses. You are likely to need to take small groups of children aside or alternatively have several adults observing children’s responses if the groups of children are large. If the entire assessment is used it considers both perceptual and conceptual subitising, but you could split it and only look at the elements you are interested in. It is rigorous and requires close observation of strategies chosen. You could brief and then ask a TA to conduct these assessments for you. The TA would describe the child’s exact achievements in the relevant boxes.
You can download this assessment here
Structured assessment subitising to 10
Structured assessment (of subitising to 20) with a script and possible children’s responses. This example is specifically designed to assess subitising to 20 with small groups of children. In addition to describing the assessment process it also gives possible children’s responses for you to match to children’s actual responses. It covers both perceptual and conceptual subitising and you could ask a TA to conduct these assessments for you.
You can download this assessment here
Structured assessment of subitising to 20
