Using the Mathematics Assessment Interview and Growth Points to Identify Grade 1 Students Who Are Not Yet Thriving in Mathematics Midway Through the School Year

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines how teachers can assess and monitor Grade 1 students’ mathematics progress during the school year to identify learners who are not yet thriving. Using the Mathematics Assessment Interview and a growth points framework, teachers assessed 396 students midway through the year across four number domains. Results show a wide distribution of knowledge and that at least 30% of students were vulnerable in each domain, supporting the need for targeted mathematics interventions and related professional learning for teachers and specialists.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Background Literature

Interview-based Mathematics Assessment

The Mathematics Assessment Interview and Growth Points

Study Approach and Findings

Growth point distribution across number domains

Proportion of mathematically vulnerable students

Using the Mathematics Assessment Interview and Growth Points to Identify Grade 1 Students Who Are Not Yet Thriving in Mathematics Midway Through the School Year Ann Gervasoni Monash University [ann.gervasoni@monash.edu](ann.gervasoni@monash.edu) Ayesha Ali Khan Department of Education NSW [ayesha.alikhan@det.nsw.edu.au](ayesha.alikhan@det.nsw.edu.au) Penelope Kalogeropoulos Monash University [penelope.kalogeropoulos@monash.edu](penelope.kalogeropoulos@monash.edu) Michelle Tregoning Department of Education NSW [michelle.tregoning@det.nsw.edu.au](michelle.tregoning@det.nsw.edu.au) Assessing and monitoring the mathematics progress of students is a key role for teachers. It is important for assessment tools to identify students who are not yet thriving and provide guidance for teachers about how to support these students. In our study, teachers assessed 396 Grade 1 students midway through the school year using the Mathematics Assessment Interview and framework of growth points. The findings describe a wide distribution of knowledge across the growth points in each of the number domains. Further analysis showed that at least 30% of students were vulnerable in each number domains, highlighting the need for mathematics interventions. Most children thrive with learning mathematics when they transition to school, but not all. Teachers work hard to advance equity and inclusion for students who are not yet thriving and implement various teaching approaches and curricula to assist them. However, these approaches are typically ad hoc because Australian primary teachers are generalists who seldom have the opportunity to develop the specialist knowledge associated with diagnosing students’mathematics difficulties, nor designing associated responsive teaching (Gervasoni et al., 2021) . It could be argued that initiatives in Australia for supporting students who are not yet thriving in mathematics need to include professional learning to build teachers’ expertise. The research reported in this paper is part ofa larger project funded by the NSW Department of Education to advance primary mathematics intervention professional learning, specifically to support students who were mathematically vulnerable. One aspect of the study was providing professional learning about using the Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) (Gervasoni et al., 2011) formally known as the Early Numeracy Interview (Clarke et al., 2002; Clarke, 2013) so that classroom teachers could: (1) identify each student’s current knowledge across four number domains; (2) use the data to position each student’s knowledge along a framework of growth points, and then use this data to guide and differentiate teaching; and (3) identify any students who were mathematically vulnerable. A subsequent aspect of the project involved professional learning for specialist mathematics intervention teachers who would use the MAI data to prioritise students for an intervention program in semester 2, and use the growth point framework to guide their teaching while implementing the intervention. In previous research involving the MAI, students were assessed at the beginning and end of the school year, but never at the midpoint of the year. Because our study began in May, this provided the opportunity to gain new insights about a cohort of Grade 1 students’ knowledge midway through the year. Two research questions frame the findings reported in this paper: (1) What is the growth point distribution for Grade 1 students midway through the school year in four number domains? (2) What proportion of Grade 1 students are mathematically vulnerable in each number domain midway through the school year? Background Literature The research reported in this paper builds on previous studies that used data from task-based mathematics assessment interviews and learning trajectories to: (1) describe the range of primary students’ mathematical knowledge at a point in time; (2) plan responsive te

FAQs

What assessment approach does the study use to support teachers?

The study uses the Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) together with a framework of growth points to assess students’ current knowledge and interpret it along a learning progression.

How was student data collected during the year?

Teachers assessed 396 Grade 1 students midway through the school year using MAI, with tasks that probe students’ thinking and strategies.

What do the findings indicate about students’ mathematics vulnerability?

The results show a wide distribution of knowledge across growth points, and further analysis indicates at least 30% of students were vulnerable in each number domain, suggesting a need for interventions.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan