EXPERIMENTING WITH DIAGNOSTIC AND MATHEMATICAL ASSESSMENT IN SIXTH YEAR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Abstract

This paper describes an experiment conducted with a sixth-grade class at a public institution in Paraná, using diagnostic assessments and mathematics. The aim was to analyze students' learning difficulties in relation to mathematical content corresponding to descriptors and skills from the 5th-grade mathematics reference matrixes used in external assessments, a diagnostic assessment instrument was developed and implemented, based on four thematic axes: space and form; magnitudes and measurements; numbers and operations; and information processing. The decision to use the descriptors from the aforementioned school year was made considering that, at times, the practice of assessing learning in the mathematics classroom is confused with preparation for external assessments, always striving for an ideal result. The choice of the 5th-grade matrix was made because it was the previous school year attended by the students. Analysis of the information obtained from the instrument demonstrated that assessment, when understood as a process, transcends the function of classification and becomes a powerful tool for learning opportunities, the production of mathematical knowledge, and the planning of pedagogical interventions.