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The placement tests below are "end of the year" tests for Math Mammoth complete curriculum. In other words, the tests are meant to be taken AFTER studying the particular grade.
You can also use these tests as general math diagnostic tests, to help you find if your student has any gaps or has not learned specific topics, because the tests group the questions by topic. Just look at the test results per "sections" of similar problems (addition, multiplication, measuring, geometry, place value, problem solving). You can always email me your child's test results if in doubt.
Placement into Math Mammoth: The goal is to find a test that the child passes or nearly passes, which means that the score is approximately in the 65-85% range. That test will then indicate the general placement of the child in Math Mammoth. If the child scores better, consider administering the next test up. If the child does worse than 65%, consider administering the next lower level test.
I recommend that in order to start with Math Mammoth complete curriculum for grade level X, the student should score 80% or more in the previous year's "end of year" test. Children scoring between 70 and 80% may also continue with the next grade, depending on the types of errors (careless errors or not remembering something, vs. lack of understanding). Use your judgment.
Tip: If you notice your child has problems with one or two concept areas in a particular test, but otherwise does fine, you can use Math Mammoth Blue Series books to "fill in those gaps". You can also email me with your test results if you have trouble deciding which Blue Series book you should use for such remedial work.
Math Mammoth grade-level review workbooks can also be used to pinpoint areas of weakness or to review a whole grade level of topics.
Background: the student began homeschooling the same year as the tests were taken and is technically in 7th grade. She had started doing Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1. However, the parent noticed that she didn't know some basic fraction information, decided to look for a supplement, and came across Math Mammoth.
The student took three end-of-year tests: for grade 6, grade 5, and grade 4. She did not do very well in the grade 6 test, but you can see her work for grade 4 and grade 5 tests in the links below. If you decide to send me your child's test results, it is not necessary to send me the complete test like this person did, but it makes a good example. Most people send me only the point counts for the various test items.
And here is my assessment and recommendations:
I think it's a good idea to have her start at grade 5 in Math Mammoth.
Additionally, I feel she should study these books from the Blue series.
- Early Geometry, because she doesn't seem to understand the concepts of area and perimeter – which are of paramount importance. This book is for grades 1-3 so some topics in it are too easy and she can skip them.
- Geometry 1 – meant for grades 4-5. She will need to study the lessons that are in 4th grade level first (angles, quadrilaterals, triangles, etc.) Please note some of the content here overlaps with MM grade 5. She can study the overlapping lessons from either source.
- Measuring 1 – it is for grades 1-3 but she may need to review everything from the beginning when it comes to measuring units. Some lessons may be too easy and can be omitted - use your judgment on that.
- Measuring 2 – for grades 4-6. Please note some of the content here overlaps with MM grades 5 and 6. She can study the overlapping lessons from either source.
- Decimals 1
She has not grasped the basics of how fractions and decimals tie together – which, once again, is a very fundamental concept. She should study Decimals 1 book before starting the decimals chapter in grade 5.
Other than those few areas (geometry, measuring, decimals), she can be placed into MM 5.
By the way, don't assign all the problems that have to do with calculations (large exercise sets) in any of the materials. It's enough to assign maybe 1/3 of those at first. If she has difficulties, then use the rest (and that may be the case when it comes to, say, perimeter and area).
And, she did really well with the first two sections of grade 5 end-of-year-test, which means she could perhaps skip the first two chapters in MM5. You could let her study the chapter reviews and/or tests from those 2 chapters. Check and see how she does with them, and then use your judgment if she'd need to study any of the lessons from those chapters.
Thankfully, she also understands many things of fraction arithmetic, which will make things go quicker in part 5-B.
I'm really glad her 'gaps' are not in general problem solving! It's far easier to deal with topics such as measuring units, area, and perimeter, than to fix a general lack of not being able to solve word problems (which is the case with many children).
Student attempted 2nd grade end-of-year test:
Add & Subtract 2-A, Add & Subtract 2-B, and half of Add & Subtract 3.
Student attempted 3rd grade end-of-year test:
(possibly Add & Subtract 2-A) Add & Subtract 2-B, Add & Subtract 3, Multiplication 1, and Division 1.
Student attempted 4th grade end-of-year test:
Add & Subtract 3, Multiplication 1, Division 1, Multiplication 2, and Division 2.
|Area of lack||Remedial book|
|Addition and subtraction facts within 0-10||Subtraction 1|
|Addition and subtraction facts within 0-18||Add & Subtract 2-A|
|Place value of tens and ones||Place Value 1|
|Place value of 3-digit numbers||Place Value 2|
|Place value of 4-digit numbers||Place Value 3|
|Mental math - addition and subtraction strategies for 2-digit numbers||Add & Subtract 2-B|
|Mental math - addition and subtraction strategies for 3-digit numbers||Add & Subtract 3|
|Multiplication concept, multiplication tables, or simple multiplication word problems (grade 3)||Multiplication 1|
|Multi-digit multiplication and related word problems (grades 4-5)||Multiplication 2|
|Prime factorization, LCM, GCF (grades 4-6)||Multiplication & Division 3|
|Basic division concept (single-digit divisors) and related word problems (grade 3)||Division 1|
|Long division and related word problems (grades 4-5)||Division 2|
|Reading the clock, telling time, or elapsed time||Clock|
|Any measuring-related difficulty within grades 1-3, including not knowing metric units||Measuring 1|
|Geometric concepts within grades 1-3||Early Geometry|
|Geometry (grades 4-7)||Geometry 1 and Geometry 2|
|Fraction concepts within grades 2-4||Introduction to Fractions|
|Fraction topics within grades 5-6||Fractions 1 and Fractions 2|
|Basic concept of decimals (grades 3-4)||Decimals 1|
|Decimal arithmetic (grades 5-6)||Decimals 2|
|Ratios and proportions (grades 6-7)||Ratios, Proportions & Problem Solving|
|Percent (grades 6-7)||Percent|
|Integers (grades 6-7)||Integers|
|Statistics (grades 5-7)||Statistics & Probability|
By Maria Miller
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