PAT M a t h s T h i r d E d i t i o n
Frequently asked questions
What year levels does the Third Edition cover?
Year 2 to Year 10.
What are the main differences between the Third
Edition and earlier editions of PATMaths?
• Year level range has been extended in both
directions, now starting at Year 2 through to
Year 10, whereas the earlier edition only
goes from Year 3 to Year 9
• Norms collected in November 2004.
Updated norms collected in July 2009 have
been provided for Tests A and 1.
• Curriculum links for every item for every
State or Territory (not available in previous
edition)
• Improved student reports giving descriptive
and diagnostic information to describe
performance in each of the strands (see
pages 18 to 29)
• I Can Do Maths (ICDM), an assessment of
mathematical ability in the first 3 years of
school, has also been scaled to the
PATMaths scale. This allows for progressive
testing of numeracy from Years 1 to 10 using
the ICDM and PATMaths Third Edition.
How long does a test take to administer?
Test A requires 20 minutes of testing time, and
Tests 1 to 7 require 40 minutes of testing time;
plus time for administration.
Are students permitted to use calculators?
Using a calculator is optional for any of the tests,
except in the ‘no calculators’ section of Tests 1, 2,
3, 4 and 5. It is recommended that the normal
classroom practice ­ concerning calculators be
continued in the tests. See page 5 for further
information.
What materials do I need to conduct PATMaths
testing?
The teacher must have a copy of the administra-
tion instructions, which are included in the manual
and on the CD-ROM.
Each student needs a copy of the relevant test
booklet and an OMR or Non-OMR answer sheet.
Note that the test booklets are reusable, whereas
a new answer sheet will be required each time
the test is given.
COPYRIGHT © 2005 AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Is there information to link results from PATMaths
Third Edition with PATMaths Revised Edition?
Yes; refer to Section 8.
What is the procedure for marking PATMaths?
Score Keys are available in the manual and on the
CD-ROM. Schools can also use the ACER Test
Scoring Service. Details are available in Section 5.
Are there parallel forms in the new edition?
No; there are eight different test forms, each
going up in level of difficulty. Each is appropriate
for a range of year levels, as shown below. When
choosing a suitable test, both the curriculum
content of the test and the ability level of the
group taking the test should be considered.
Test A 20 questions Years 1 or 2 or 3
Test 1 35 questions Years 3 or 4
Test 2 36 questions Years 3 or 4 or 5
Test 3 37 questions Years 4 or 5 or 6
Test 4 38 questions Years 5 or 6 or 7
Test 5 39 questions Years 6 or 7 or 8
Test 6 40 questions Years 7 or 8 or 9
Test 7 41 questions Years 8 or 9 or 10
Should PATMaths be administered more than
once per year?
The tests may be used to monitor changes in
achievement over time by using one test at the
start of a year and a second test at the end of
the year. It is also possible to use the same test at
the beginning and end of a year. Note, however,
that using PATMaths tests for pre- and post-
testing over time periods of less than a
school year is unlikely to show any appreci-
able change in mean achievement for a
group. More information is available in Section
3.
How can results of PATMaths testing be used?
Results can be used at both group and individual
level. PATMaths scale scores can be used to
measure improvement over time. Percentile
ranks and stanines will provide a picture of how
students’ results compare with results of students
in the same year level across Australia. Analysis
of students’ performance across curriculum con-
tent strands will provide information to inform
teaching practice.