Adaptive testing

NGMT is adaptive, meaning that each student’s performance is assessed as they complete the test and the questions adapted to be in line with the levels of attainment they demonstrate. This is of particular benefit to students with skills that are not commensurate with their chronological ages – they can be tested with material at a lower or higher level than that determined by their year group.

The sequence of questions presented to the student is based on the probability of answering a question correctly within the basal set (which is determined by age). As a student responds to individual questions, subsequent test content is presented to them at what is perceived to be an appropriate level of difficulty. Test questions – all linked to the English National Curriculum Programmes of Study for mathematics – will be presented to students within a defined range: individuals will see content linked to a year group that may be as much as two years before or beyond their academic year group, according to the accuracy of their responses. However, students will be presented with test questions only in mathematical domains consistent with their academic year group.

NGMT uses a look up of the child’s age at the time of testing and tracks back to the beginning of the term in order that the child initially sees content relevant to their academic year.  If a child falls outside of the bounds of the age range of the test, the Test Player will be unable to identify a starting question and so testing of this individual will not possible.

So:

• The program will determine each student’s first question based on their dates of birth

• Each student will progress through the test according to performance

• An incorrect response will lead to a question of lower difficulty being displayed to the student next

• A correct response will lead to a more challenging question being displayed to the student next

• Students will be presented with test questions only in mathematical domains consistent with their academic year group. The number of questions shown to each child is designed to be largely consistent with the

• Students will be presented with test content that cycles through mathematical domains – it is not the case that multiple items relating to one specific aspect of mathematics will be shown to a student in sequence.