Teaching guide · Math assessment · Grades 1-3

How do I run a math skill check in Grades 1-3?

Short answer. Pick one skill you have already taught, give the next unused form under the same timing and directions as last time, score it, note the error pattern, teach one clear next step, and check again later with a fresh form. A skill check is a teacher-made classroom probe. It is not a normed test.

The four-step routine

  • Choose: pick the skill that matches the current teaching goal and check that its content has been taught.
  • Give: use the next unused form. Keep the timing and directions the same each time.
  • Notice: score the correct items, record the form and the date, and mark error types or strategies.
  • Respond: teach one clear next step, then check again on a later date with the next form.

Four skills, and how each check is set up

  • Number sense: 20 items, untimed. Students write the missing number in each sequence.
  • Addition and subtraction to 20: 20 items, exactly two minutes. Students skip an item they do not know and come back if time remains.
  • Addition and subtraction to 100: 12 items, untimed. Students show a method for each one.
  • Two-digit place value: 12 items, untimed. Six items ask for the number shown by base-ten blocks and six ask for the tens and ones.

Why a different form each time

Each skill has eight different forms, A to H, so you can give up to eight checks without reusing a complete form. Use them in order. After form H, use another measure or build a new matched set; starting again at A and reading repeated-item gains as fresh growth would mislead you.

Turning a result into a next lesson

Look at the errors, not only the total. If a student breaks down at decade crossings or skip counts, model a short sequence on a hundred chart or an open number line, then remove the model for two fresh examples. If a student counts every item in addition to 20, teach one strategy such as make-ten or doubles with counters and a ten-frame. For regrouping errors in addition and subtraction to 100, use base-ten blocks or an open number line and have the student explain the exchange.

Honest limits

  • These are teacher-made classroom checks, not normed or validated diagnostic tests.
  • Forms share an item blueprint but may still differ in difficulty, so read the student's work before interpreting a change.
  • A score trend alone does not prove that an intervention caused growth; use other evidence before any high-stakes decision.

Questions teachers ask

What is a math skill check?

A short, single-skill probe that a teacher gives, scores and records on a schedule, using a different form each time. It shows what a student gets right, which error pattern appears and whether a teaching move helped.

How many times can I check the same skill?

The Grades 1-3 set has eight forms per skill, so up to eight checks without reusing a complete form. How often you give them is your call; the guide asks you to keep the timing and directions the same each time.

Is a skill check a standardized test?

No. They are teacher-made classroom checks, not normed or validated diagnostic tests. The forms share an item blueprint but may still differ in difficulty.

Can I use a skill check score for an IEP or an eligibility decision?

Not on its own. The guide's limits say to read the student's work, check what was taught and use other evidence before making any high-stakes decision.

Where to go next

Sources

  • Milestone_Math_Skill_Checks_Grades_1-3.pdf (47 pages), the file sold on the product page: pages 1 to 3 (start here, limits, administration and scoring), 7 (from result to next lesson), 8 to 11 (Form A) and 40 (Form A answer key). Opened and read page by page on 12 October 2026.

Reviewed 12 October 2026.