Mathematics Learning Profile This mathematics profile focuses on the abilities of a 5-year-old kindergarten student named Sreeja.

The task we completed was a kindergarten math assessment aligned with the Common Core Standards. The task included 16 questions that addressed number sense, geometry, operations and data. The task was completed during morning meeting at about 9:15. Sreeja and I sat at a small table outside of the classroom, in a small hallway. While completing the task, Sreeja seemed very alert and eager to participate. We completed each question one at a time at Sreejas pace. I was able to interview Sreeja during the task and ask her about her thoughts. I was able to learn a lot about Sreejas math ability by analyzing an assessment that she completed in October. The assessment contained 14 questions, which were also aligned with the Common Core. There were many mathematical concepts in which Sreeja has greatly improved since her last assessment. Since her assessment in October, Sreeja has greatly improved her understanding of number sense. For example, in October Sreeja incorrectly answered the question, is 2 more than 15?. In the task that Sreeja completed recently, she was able to identify the number 7 as larger than the number 5. This shows that over the past six months, Sreeja has learned the mathematical concept of comparing whole numbers. Although Sreeja was able to compare the numbers 5 and 7, she could not compare the groups without using manipulatives. When I asked Sreeja about her counting she explained that she could count cubes in her head. When I put out two groups of cubes and asked Sreeja to compare them, she explained that she needed to count them out loud because there were too many. As Sreeja counted the cubes I also observed that she had one to one correspondence. One thing that I would work on with

Sreeja is her use of mathematic vocabulary. For example, Sreeja was not familiar with the terms less than, greater than and equal to. In order for her to compare numbers, I had to use phrases such as, Is 7 bigger than 5?. While Sreeja was completing the task I also observed that she has a fairly well developed understanding of mathematical operations. When given 3 cubes, Sreeja was able to tell me that she needed 2 more cubes to make 5. She was able to give me the correct answer without using additional manipulatives. I asked Sreeja how she got the answer so quickly without using blocks. Sreeja explained that she lined the 3 blocks up and knew that the other two went next to them to make 5. Sreeja was probably able to make a visual representation in her head due to her use of Ten-Frames in class. This skill was not apparent in Sreejas October assessment. In October, Sreeja was not able to add mentally. While completing my task, Sreeja was not able to do the subtraction question as easily as she did the addition question. When asked, What is 5 minus 3? Sreeja used addition and answered 8. I asked sreeja the meaning of the word minus. She explained that minus is taking away and then proceeded to correct her answer. I do not think this error was due to a lack of understanding of operations. When prompted to recall the definition of the word minus, Sreeja corrected her mistake without being asked. After getting a sense of Sreejas knowledge of numbers and operations, I gave her the part of the task that focused on data analysis. I gave Sreeja a group of shapes in various colors and sizes. I asked Sreeja to sort the blocks whatever way made the most sense to her. Sreeja was able to sort the shapes by color very quickly. When asked about her thinking, Sreeja explained that she saw the colors first and put them in order. I then asked Sreeja to sort the shapes a different way and she seemed confused. As she started

sorting the shapes for a second time, I observed that she was making patterns with the blocks. Sreeja explained that she was making the blocks make sense. She sorted them again by color; this time in an alternating pattern. After Sreeja finished her pattern I asked, How are these objects different? You already told me they are different colors. Are they different in any other way? Sreeja realized that the objects also differed by shapes but could not sort them appropriately. Sreeja was only able to sort the objects when I set up categories for her and set a rule. This shows that Sreeja has a developing understanding of shapes and their attributes. Sreeja knows the names of most 2-D shapes, but cannot yet organize information into logical groups. Sreeja is also developing knowledge about the relative positions of objects using words such as above and below. Overall, Sreeja is progressing quickly in her acquisition of mathematical skills. Currently, she meets most of the Common Core Standards for kindergarten. Sreeja has excellent number sense and can count to 100 with no errors. Sreeja is also able to count up from any number without starting at 1. Sreeja can also represent numbers in written form, as well as, compare groups of numbers. Sreeja is still developing in the areas of data analysis and geometric understanding. Although there is still much to learn, it is evident from reviewing previous assessments that Sreeja has greatly improved in mathematical ability over the past 6 months.