# Two-week number check and next-step guide

**Status:** original formative assessment draft; educator review pending. **Scope:** 0–10 only. This check is not a report grade, a diagnosis, or a claim that a child has met all Foundation mathematics outcomes. AC9MFN01 and AC9MFN03 extend to at least 20 by the end of Foundation.

## Run it without interrupting the class

Collect the listed items from each child’s independent tries and checks across Days 1–10: A begins on Days 1–2 and finishes on Days 6–8; B comes from Days 3–4; C from Days 7–8; D from Days 5 and 9; E from Day 8. Use the prompts below and fresh objects when you need a clearer individual check. During pair or station games, take a few minutes with children whose evidence is still missing while the rest of the class uses familiar activities. Do not try to run all 22 points with every child in one Day 10 block. Mark an unobserved item “not assessed” and collect it at the next suitable opportunity; never infer or invent a score. Note the date, whether the response was independent, the access format, and any prompt given. Keep names and records within the teacher’s normal private process; do not upload identifiable work to a public product. If a child is tired or distressed, stop and return later. A correct answer after modelling is evidence for planning, but is not scored as independent.

Use a ten-frame, large counters, numeral cards 0–10 and uncluttered dot cards. Prepare the subitising cards as follows: one centre dot; two separated dots; three in a triangle; four as two close pairs; five as three plus two. Vary four and five layouts during normal lessons so this check does not measure memorisation of a single picture. Provide enough access time to perceive the card; do not make speed the goal.

**Response access:** The learner may speak, sign, point, use AAC, eye gaze, draw, or direct an adult to move objects. Use large print, high contrast, tactile numerals or raised frames as needed. Count mathematics demonstrated, not pronunciation, handwriting, vision, motor control or speed. A described or tactile grouping supports quantity recognition but does not directly establish visual subitising; record that item as not assessed for the visual task and use an educator-selected equivalent opportunity later. Keep a denominator for assessed items rather than turning “not assessed” into zero.

## Script and item scoring

| Part | Teacher prompt and items | Score | Diagnostic note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A. Numeral to quantity | Mix cards 0, 3, 5, 7, 10. For each: “What number is this? Make that many.” | 1 per card when numeral is identified and the set matches independently; 5 possible. | Record whether a numeral is known but the set is wrong, or vice versa. |
| B. Subitise 1–5 | Briefly reveal one fresh dot card for each 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. “How many did you see? What grouping helped?” | 1 per total named without counting each dot; 5 possible. | Counting can show correct quantity but not the specific subitising evidence. Record the group explanation for 4 and 5. |
| C. Count a loose set | Scatter 8 objects, then 10 in a different layout. “How many are there? Show me how you know.” | For each: 1 for one count word per object, 1 for the final total; 4 possible. | Watch for skipped or double-counted pieces and for restarting instead of using the last word. |
| D. Compare and explain | Set up 5 versus 3, spread-out 7 versus bunched 9, and two differently arranged sets of 8. “Which has more, fewer or the same? How do you know?” | Each pair: 1 for correct relation, 1 for a count, pairing, number-order or leftover explanation; 6 possible. | Appearance alone is not a sufficient reason; pointing to paired leftovers is. |
| E. Order | Mix cards 0–5, then 5–10. “Put these in counting order.” | 1 for each complete independent sequence; 2 possible. | Note specific omissions, especially 0 and 10. |

**Maximum: 22 points if all items are accessible and assessed.** Record A /5, B /5, C /4, D /6, E /2 separately. A total can help track change after a repeat, but domain scores and error notes decide the teaching response. This is a local draft rubric with no external standardisation or validated cutoff.

## Ready-to-copy observation line

Learner code: ____  Date(s): ____  Access route and presentation changes: ____  Independent / prompted: ____  
A ____/5  B ____/5 or not assessed  C ____/4  D ____/6  E ____/2  Total ____/____  
Exact response or misconception: ____  Next small step: ____  Recheck date: ____

## Use the evidence the next day

| Evidence | First response | Recheck |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zero linked to a tray rather than an empty collection | Pair card 0 with several different empty containers; contrast with one object in a container. | Ask for 0 in a new scene, then 1. |
| One-to-one count slips at 8 or 10, or last word is not treated as total | Move each counted item to a second mat; then count in a ten-frame and back in a loose set. | New loose set of 8; ask “How many altogether?” |
| Counts all 1–5 cards instead of recognising groups | Work with 1–3 first; show grouped dots repeatedly, ask “What did you see together?”, then build two pairs or 3+2 for 4–5. | Two fresh 4/5 layouts without one-by-one counting. |
| Numeral and quantity disagree | Link numeral, spoken name and frame side by side, then hide one and rebuild it. | New card from the confused pair, for example 8/9. |
| Spread or object size overrides the count | Pair objects or move them into two ten-frames, count and rearrange without adding or removing. | Fresh 7/9 and equal 8/8 pairs. |
| Work is accurate and reasoning is clear | Extend to 11–20 in the next planned number sequence; add missing numbers and comparisons there. | Check with novel 11–20 sets before claiming wider AC9MFN01/03 progress. |

For any item not yet independent, start with the smallest successful collection, demonstrate once, practise together twice, then give a fresh independent try. Keep the child’s chosen response access route unless it obscures the mathematical idea. If a learner has a documented adjustment, consult the learner and family or school team as appropriate; do not prescribe a route from a diagnosis.

## Alignment and source

Items A and E sample **AC9MFN01**; B samples **AC9MFN02**; C and D sample **AC9MFN03**. Part-group talk in lessons is an **early AC9MFN04 connection**, not a scored claim of that descriptor. Exact code wording and snapshot citation are in [README.md](README.md). [AERO monitoring guidance](https://www.edresearch.edu.au/guides-resources/practice-guides/monitor-progress) supports checking understanding and changing instruction in response. [ACARA disability guidance](https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/student-diversity/students-with-disability) supports individualised adjustments and formative assessment. These sources support the design approach; this draft itself still needs educator review and classroom testing.