Developing Real-Life Proficiency-Based Mathematics Tasks

At the core of the international PISA tests are skill and proficiency-based tasks that reflect real-life challenges. The mathematics test invites 15 year-old students to use mathematics reasoning as well as quantitative thinking in order to solve daily life problems. Contexts vary from determining accurate dosage of antibiotic drugs, calculating the levels of energy needed for a car to arrive at its destination, to deciding between two competing mortgage offers, etc. Based on their mathematical abilities in 10^th grade, Israeli students should be excelling in such tests. However, since the test requires accuracy, focus and persistence, many Israeli students who are accustomed to cutting corners, find the test challenging, and even tiring. Their regular school learning is typically very different and much more sterile, requiring more technical calculations.

The Center for Education Technology (CET) has decided in recent years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, to assist Israeli students and teachers confront this difficulty. CET is uniquely positioned to tackle the issue, as one of Israel’s leading nonprofit developers of textbooks, learning materials, assessments and Ed-Tech aids. Its mathematics department has developed so far approximately 80 proficiency tasks, which are incrementally penetrating the formal school material. The Ministry of Education encourages schools to integrate such tasks, however in practice, teachers and students find them awkward to use. They have no incentive for doing so, and since it is a diversion from their traditional habits of teaching and learning, they tend not to include them in their lessons plans.

In order to spark motivation and interest for 21^st century real-life mathematics proficiency tasks among students, we approached CET and asked for professional assistance.  We asked them to customize their existing pool of tasks, to develop additional ones and to adapt them to five different contexts. These contexts (for example high-tech, youth movement, flora and fauna, emergency medicine) will be determined based on results of surveys and focus groups administered by Presentense, identifying popular areas of interest among Israeli youngsters. A special effort will be made to attract Arab youth and female students to the competitions, and some of the competitions will be tailored to these target audiences in terms of language and content area.

CET plans to enlist to this effort, three of its finest experts on a part time basis, led by Dr. Yaniv Bitton, a renowned mathematics teacher at the Virtual High School. The team will be advised by Prof. Sarah Hershkovitz, the head of CET’s mathematics department and an expert on mathematics proficiency assessment. In 2012 Hershkovitz was a member of an ETS (Education Testing Service) team advising the OECD on the development of collaborative problem solving tasks for PISA.  The development process will be quick and intense, 50 generic tasks will be prepared in the coming weeks, and then will each be customized to the five context areas. The development team will work in close alignment with the technology, operation and communications teams, and will provide them with ongoing professional advice.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 269