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First run - Placement Test
First Run — Placement Test to Create a Learning Pathway
First Run — Placement Test to Create a Learning Pathway

The Placement Test Overview — Why is the test important? Things to do right before. What does it look like?

Alexandra avatar
Written by Alexandra
Updated over a week ago

Why is the Placement Test important?

The Happy Numbers Placement Test, powered by The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics, is designed to assess students’ mathematics readiness in grades K through 5.

Upon entering Happy Numbers, all K-5 students automatically take the Happy Numbers Placement Test. There is no placement test in PreK until the 1st of March, since these students will all begin their learning pathway from the beginning of the curriculum.

The test results are used to determine a student’s readiness for mathematics instruction in grade-level skills and concepts. It also helps place the student at the appropriate starting point in the Happy Numbers curriculum. Our main goal is to give your students the opportunity to learn math concepts independently and make the learning engaging, so it is very important to place them at the right starting point in the curriculum. Therefore, the Placement Test cannot be skipped.

Things to do right before the Placement Test

  1. Print and read a letter from Dino to your students.

  2. Tell students that first, they will have a Placement Test, so they should put their thinking caps on for these 20 to 30 multiple-choice questions (more detailed information below).

  3. Help students log into their accounts. Switch to Spanish if needed.

  4. Make sure the sound is turned on, so the student has the opportunity to listen to all questions.

  5. If your students take the test at home, explain to parents that it is important not to help their children with the test. Otherwise, students will not be placed correctly in the Happy Numbers curriculum and may struggle.

What does the Placement Test look like?

The Placement Test is adaptive and covers the skills and concepts associated with the Happy Numbers curriculum for the previous grade levels. As many math concepts build upon each other, and their number increases with every next grade, the number of items included in the Placement Test slightly differs for different grade levels. The test consists of 20 multiple-choice items for grades K-2, 25 items for grade 3, and 30 items for grades 4 and 5. The test is untimed and usually takes

  • between 10 and 20 minutes for Grades K-2,

  • between 10 and 30 minutes for Grade 3,

  • between 20 and 40 minutes for Grades 4 and 5.

The Placement Test consists of mathematics tasks aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and other state mathematics standards.

My students didn't complete the test in one sitting. Will they have to go through it all over again?

Sometimes your students may not have the opportunity to complete a test in one sitting. Therefore, we save progress, and the next time your students log in, they will pick up where they left off. If a student is taking the test on a home device and wants to take a break, we recommend closing the browser tab and reopening it when they are ready to complete the test.


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