Mathematics-Writing Assessments: An Analysis of Prompts and Scoring Methods on Performance of Students With and Without Mathematics Difficulty

Mathematics writing occurs regularly in classroom instruction, on state assessments, and as part of research. Yet, little research measures how student outcomes may differ across mathematics-writing prompt structures and scoring methods. We examined how students with and without mathematics difficulty (MD) performed across mathematics-writing prompt structures (i.e., problem-solving steps and problem-solving response method) and scoring methods (i.e., holistic and elements rubrics). We sampled 375 Grade 4 students with and without MD. Each student completed one of four mathematics-writing prompts. These prompts differed by problem-solving steps and problem-solving response method. Students without MD significantly outperformed students with MD on prompts with pseudo-student work for the elements rubric. In addition, students’ measured performance differed across holistic and elements rubrics. In conclusion, performance trends for all students differed across the prompts and rubrics, demonstrating a need for careful consideration when selecting mathematics-writing prompts and rubrics.