Examining Student Work
Jenny Ray, KDE Mathematics Specialist
NKCES (Northern Kentucky Region)
Jenny.ray@education.ky.gov
www.JennyRay.net
Quality Core Participant
Handbook
O Template to Examine Student Work, p. 131
Examination Process (pp. 131-132)
1. Discuss the assignment’s place and purpose.
2. Reach consensus on attributes of high-quality
work connected to the assignment
3. Sort student work.
4. Examine student work.
5. Focus on student work that does not meet
high-quality standards.
Quality Core Worksheet for
Examining Student Work
O Directions: Using the discussion of Step 2 as
a guide, list attributes of each criterion that
are specific to the assignment. Then, note
the strengths and weaknesses in student
work, and identify patterns.
O (Criterion: Demonstrates deep conceptual
understanding, shows procedural knowledge
of mathematical content, demonstrates skill
and understanding in problem solving,
demonstrates effective communication)
Work through the problem
O Before assigning student work, complete the
task
O Preferably, consider multiple entry strategies
that students may use
O For our analysis purposes, you will work
through a task using your method of choice.
O Then, you will work through the same
problem using another solution strategy
Optimization Problems:
Boomerangs
Analyzing Student Work
Alex’s solution
P-7
Danny’s solution
P-8
Jeremiah’s solution
P-9
Tanya's solution
P-10
Evaluating Sample Responses to
Discuss
O What do you like about the work?
O How has each student organized the work?
O What mistakes have been made?
O What isn’t clear?
O What questions do you want to ask this student?
O In what ways might the work be improved?
P-11
“Take 5”
Sidewalk Patterns
Sidewalk Patterns
In Prague some sidewalks are made of small square blocks of stone.
The blocks are in different shades to make patterns that are in various
sizes.
1. Draw the next pattern in this series.
Sidewalk Patterns
2.
Complete the table below.
Pattern number, n
1
2
Number of white blocks
12
40
Number of gray blocks
13
Total number of blocks
25
3
4
3. What do you notice about the number of white
blocks and the number of gray blocks?
Sidewalk Patterns
4. The total number of blocks can be found by squaring
the number of blocks along one side of the pattern.
a. Fill in the blank spaces in this list.
25 = 52 81 = ___ 169 =___ 289 = 172
b. How many blocks will pattern number 5 need?
c.
How many blocks will pattern n need?
5. a. If you know the total number of blocks in a
pattern you can work out the number of white
blocks in it Explain how you can do this.
b. Pattern number 6 has a total of 625 blocks. How
many white blocks are needed for pattern number
6? Show how you figured this out.
Student A
Student C
Student F
Student D
Watch the animation on
the following slide and
consider:
• What aspects of seeing
structure and
generalizing do you see
evident in this work?
• What are some possible
next steps for this
student?
4 sets of 1 by 3
rectangles
White =4•1•3
4 sets of 2 by 5
rectangles
White =4•2•5
4 sets of 1 by 1
and a 3 by 3
Gray =4•1•1+3•3
4 sets of 2 by 2
and a 5 by 5
Gray =4•2•2+5•5
4 sets of 3 by 7
rectangles
White =4•3•7
4 sets of 3 by 3
and a 7 by 7
Gray =4•3•3+7•7
A student showed the
calculations at the right for
finding the number of gray
squares.
O What questions might help
him use his thinking to
generalize the number of
gray tiles?
Student A
Student B
Student C
Student E