mathematics

chapter 4 27
measurement
The assessments included sixteen tasks investigating students’ understandings,
processes and skills in the area of mathematics called measurement. Measurement
includes knowledge, understanding and use of systems of measurement, the use of
measurement apparatus, and processes of predicting, calculating and recording.
This chapter includes tasks relating to money.
Sixteen tasks were identical for both year 4 and year 8. Seven tasks had overlapping
versions for year 4 and year 8 students, with some parts common to both levels.
Three tasks were attempted by year 4 students only, and seven by year 8 only.
Twelve are trend tasks (fully described with data for both 1997 and 2001), ten are
released tasks (fully described with data for 2001 only), and eleven are link tasks
(to be used again in 2005, so only partially described here).
The tasks are presented in the three sections: trend tasks, then released tasks and
finally link tasks. Within each section, tasks attempted (in whole or part) by both
year 4 and year 8 students are presented first, followed by parallel tasks, then tasks
attempted only by year 8 students.
Averaged across 101 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8
students, 25 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these
components. Year 8 students performed better on 95 of the 101 components. As
expected, the differences were generally larger on more difficult tasks. These often
were tasks that many year 4 students would not yet have had much opportunity
to learn in school.
There was little evidence of change between 1997 and 2001. Averaged across
41 trend task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, 2 percent
more students succeeded in 2001 than in 1997. Gains occurred on 25 of the 41
components. At year 8 level, with 45 trend task components included, 2 percent
fewer students succeeded in 2001 than in 1997. Gains occurred on 15 of the 45
components.
A representative range of measurement systems, processes and applications was
covered in the set of tasks attempted by students. At both levels students’ skills
of reading measurements were substantially stronger than those of making good
estimations. Moderate to low
percentages of year 8 and year 4
students demonstrated abilities
to effectively explain processes
and strategies for making and
checking measurements.
Bean Estimates