
One of the first questions we have from new users of our Number Sense booklets is how to choose the proper level for each student. This is a great question!
A major strength of the Number Sense booklets is that you can have each child working at a “just-right” level, which means that each child can experience maximum success. The skills repeat through the levels, so each student is learning the same skills in their zone of proximal development.
And now to the levels! The first thing to do is familiarize yourself with the booklets and which numbers are being used at each level. There are 4 booklets per level, (A,B,C,D - except for level 1 which has just 2 booklets) these 4 booklets are designed to build skills over time, increasing in difficulty within the scope of the numbers used.
If you look at the chart below, (which is taken from page 2 of the Teacher Information Guide) you will see that the booklets are levelled according to which numbers the students are working with. These numbers align with the BC curriculum, but since the students are working at their “just-right” level, they can be used with any curriculum.

The second thing we recommend is to give an assessment so that you have an idea of a child’s current number-sense skills. There are a number of assessments that can be used. The SNAP Assessment from the Chilliwack School District is an easy to use numeracy assessment. Instructions and practice assessments are available on their website.
Using the results from a numeracy assessment, teachers use their professional judgement to determine which level to place a child at. When unsure, we recommend that you place a child at the lower rather than higher level. It doesn’t matter if a student starts out a little lower, they will gain confidence working with numbers that they find easy,
I always begin with the “A” booklet in a series. If it seems like a booklet is easy, I let the child finish that booklet and then put them up a level for the next booklet. (For example, the child found 3A a little easy, so I let them finish it and then move them to 4A) If the booklet is too difficult, I move them right away to a lower level.
There are two special cases to consider when deciding what level booklet to use with a child. The first is when a child has what we call, “Math Anxiety” or a lack of confidence in their math skills. When this is the case, I purposely put the child at a level that is on the easy side. This builds a child’s confidence. When the child learns the skills and begins to enjoy doing math (trust me, this will happen!) I move the child up to a more challenging level.
The second tricky situation is when a child has low skills but high confidence (or pretends to have high confidence). These children are often trying to hide their lack of skills from their classmates, and they will say things like, “this is too easy” or “this is boring” even when they cannot do the skills. For these children, it is important that they work on the level that is appropriate for them, not at the level that they choose.
Question 11 in the FAQ section of the Teacher Information booklet talks about this challenge in more detail.
How would you place your students in the Number Sense program? Do you have any experiences to share? We would love to hear about them. Please tell us about it in the comments below.
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