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Testing basic mathematics in Norway The Norwegian government is investing in training and assessment initiatives designed to improve student numeracy levels. In April a group of delegates from the Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education (NSMO) travelled to ACER’s Melbourne office to participate in a series of customised training workshops on computer-based testing. Over four days, ACER and NSMO engaged in conversations on the topics of the rationale for the use of interactive digital test items in large scale assessment, the challenges of developing test items for an interactive digital medium, the decisions and practices that ACER has adopted in the development of interactive digital test items in large scale assessments and the topic of education systems and practices in Australia and Norway. The purpose of the study visit was to increase NSMO’s capacity to develop interactive test items for the computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. Introduced in 2004 and computerised in 2009, the test is designed to assess student’s ability to use basic mathematical skills such as number, measuring and statistics in different contexts. “It is not a test of mathematics curriculum, rather it is a test of mathematical competence in all school subjects, including Society and Environment, Physical Education and Science,” said NSMO’s Grethe Ravlo. Norway’s National Test is conducted in Years 5 and 8, or with 10 year-old and 13 year-old students respectively. Around 60 000 students at each year level take the annual computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics, as well as the National Test in Norwegian Reading and the National Test in English. In Norway, Ravlo leads a team of nine educators who develop the National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. In addition to working at NSMO developing the National Test, these nine educators are also working part-time as teachers, teaching in classes ranging from Year 5 through to university level. “We have teachers developing items for the national assessment,” said Ravlo. “This is very important.” Over the last decade, Norway’s assessment results have shown mathematics to be an area of concern. In 2010 students from Year 9 were also asked to take the Year 8 National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. Results revealed the Year 9 students performed only slightly better than Year 8 students. Measuring and fractions are problem areas for many Norwegian students. Statistics, on the other hand, is an area that their students tend to perform well in, as can be seen in Norway’s PISA results. Results from the first administration of PISA in 2000 revealed that Norwegian students were performing at around the OECD average. The 2003 PISA administration showed a slight decline and in 2006 Norway performed significantly below the OECD average. Results from PISA 2009 show that the downward trend has been reversed, as Norway’s students are very close to level they were in 2000 and are now performing at around the OECD average. However, Ravlo and her colleagues at NSMO think Norway can and should do better. “There is not always a connection between what we want our children know and what they actually know,” said Ravlo. “They have much more to learn.” Ravlo explained that some Norwegian parents are not good at mathematics and so they do not expect their children to be good at mathematics. “We can’t accept that,” said Ravlo. “We have courses for parents in Norway, called ‘Family Maths’, where they sit together with the children doing activities and playing games. In this way we can encourage the parents to give their children inspiration and enthusiasm in learning mathematics.” NSMO also provides training courses for classroom teachers, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, to coordinate and develop new and better ways to teach mathematics at all levels in school, by connecting teaching theory and practice. The Ministry of Education’s framework for national tests underpins the computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics that NSMO is developing. « Back to eNews
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The Norwegian government is investing in training and assessment initiatives designed to improve student numeracy levels.

In April a group of delegates from the Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education (NSMO) travelled to ACER’s Melbourne office to participate in a series of customised training workshops on computer-based testing. Over four days, ACER and NSMO engaged in conversations on the topics of the rationale for the use of interactive digital test items in large scale assessment, the challenges of developing test items for an interactive digital medium, the decisions and practices that ACER has adopted in the development of interactive digital test items in large scale assessments and the topic of education systems and practices in Australia and Norway.

The purpose of the study visit was to increase NSMO’s capacity to develop interactive test items for the computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. Introduced in 2004 and computerised in 2009, the test is designed to assess student’s ability to use basic mathematical skills such as number, measuring and statistics in different contexts.

“It is not a test of mathematics curriculum, rather it is a test of mathematical competence in all school subjects, including Society and Environment, Physical Education and Science,” said NSMO’s Grethe Ravlo.

Norway’s National Test is conducted in Years 5 and 8, or with 10 year-old and 13 year-old students respectively. Around 60 000 students at each year level take the annual computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics, as well as the National Test in Norwegian Reading and the National Test in English.

In Norway, Ravlo leads a team of nine educators who develop the National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. In addition to working at NSMO developing the National Test, these nine educators are also working part-time as teachers, teaching in classes ranging from Year 5 through to university level.

“We have teachers developing items for the national assessment,” said Ravlo. “This is very important.”

Over the last decade, Norway’s assessment results have shown mathematics to be an area of concern. In 2010 students from Year 9 were also asked to take the Year 8 National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics. Results revealed the Year 9 students performed only slightly better than Year 8 students.

Measuring and fractions are problem areas for many Norwegian students. Statistics, on the other hand, is an area that their students tend to perform well in, as can be seen in Norway’s PISA results.

Results from the first administration of PISA in 2000 revealed that Norwegian students were performing at around the OECD average. The 2003 PISA administration showed a slight decline and in 2006 Norway performed significantly below the OECD average. Results from PISA 2009 show that the downward trend has been reversed, as Norway’s students are very close to level they were in 2000 and are now performing at around the OECD average. However, Ravlo and her colleagues at NSMO think Norway can and should do better.

“There is not always a connection between what we want our children know and what they actually know,” said Ravlo. “They have much more to learn.”

Ravlo explained that some Norwegian parents are not good at mathematics and so they do not expect their children to be good at mathematics.

“We can’t accept that,” said Ravlo. “We have courses for parents in Norway, called ‘Family Maths’, where they sit together with the children doing activities and playing games. In this way we can encourage the parents to give their children inspiration and enthusiasm in learning mathematics.”

NSMO also provides training courses for classroom teachers, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, to coordinate and develop new and better ways to teach mathematics at all levels in school, by connecting teaching theory and practice. The Ministry of Education’s framework for national tests underpins the computer-based National Test in Basic Skills in Mathematics that NSMO is developing.

Testing basic mathematics in Norway