Having taught math for many years, I have seen the mathematics tests evolve from ones with only computation to ones with strong emphasis on problem-solving. The student still must be able to do the computation but now must have an excellent command of the language. Researching various state math questions for grades 3-5 I found very surprising information. On some tests I found as many 200 or more words which could confuse a student on any grade level. Of course not all words are unique in the test, but if a child does not know a word in question 2 and that same word appears in question 15, the child will not know it that question, either. No wonder the students with limited language skills have problems in the math section of the test. The word ’number’ will appear in many math questions.

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2017

• Date of Conference: 26-29 June, 2017
• DOI: 10.2053/CICE.2017.0123
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-908320-83-4
• Conference Location: University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada