Content Strand 1: Number Sense - Item Specification (8-2005)

NS05 (Estimation) Identify when an approximation is appropriate; use estimation to determine the reasonableness of answers in situations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of non-negative decimals and fractions (1.1.8)

Item Format:

· Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer items may be used to test when estimation is appropriate.
· Multiple-Choice items will not ask students to estimate and identify the answer.

Stimulus, Stem, and Prompt Rules:

· Stimulus may include tables, charts, diagrams, and illustrations.
· Items will not require the use of a particular estimation strategy.
· Items may present situations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division of non-negative decimals and fractions.
· NS05 items will be on a “no tools” day.

Mathematical Vocabulary and Terms:

· Terms that may be used: approximate (as an adjective), estimate, estimation
· Terms that may be used with definitions or examples: evaluate, quotient
· Terms that may not be used: approximate (as a verb), clustering, compatible numbers, front end estimation or names of other estimation strategies, integer

Item Characteristics:

a) Items may ask students to evaluate the appropriateness of estimation versus exact calculation in situations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division of non-negative decimals and fractions.
b) Items may ask students to describe a strategy for estimations involving addition, subtractions, multiplication, and/or division of non-negative decimals and fractions.
c) Items may ask students to estimate in situations involving addition, subtractions, multiplication, and/or division of non-negative decimals and fractions.
d) Items may ask students to use estimation to determine whether a computation result is reasonable in a given situation.

Note: Students will not receive credit in estimation items for computing and then rounding.