How are the Math Screeners structured?

The Math Screener by Classworks is primarily a readiness assessment — it is designed to measure a student's readiness for on-grade level instruction, identify baseline learning levels, and measure growth over time (SEG Measurement, 2019; Classworks, 2022).

It is not designed as a diagnostic tool or a curriculum-aligned end-of-unit test. This distinction matters significantly when making placement decisions for students with complex learning profiles.

A defining feature of the screener is that each level of the assessment intentionally includes content from multiple grade levels. Specifically, for second grade and above, each screener includes:

• Approximately 50% of content from the target grade level
• Approximately 25% of content from one grade level below
• Approximately 25% of content from two grade levels below

This multi-grade design gives the assessment sufficient "reach" to identify where students are performing relative to grade-level expectations, including students who may be struggling significantly below their enrolled grade.

• First grade assessments include content from both first grade and kindergarten
• Kindergarten assessments contain two forms reflecting earlier and later kindergarten content, recognizing the rapid developmental changes at that level.

This built-in reach is a deliberate and research-informed design choice. It means that a student does not need to be placed at a lower level simply because they are performing below grade level — the screener at their enrolled grade level already includes content from prior grades to accommodate a range of performance levels.

The Classworks Universal Screeners have been validated by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) and have received the highest ratings for reliability and validity. They are included in the NCII Academic Screeners Tools Chart and are nationally normed, providing percentile scores for fall, winter, and spring administrations across grades K–10.