KEY: Probe Key

7th Grade
Ops/Alg/Geo – A
Meas/Geo/Alg – B
Ops/Alg – C
8th Grade
Algebra – A
Geo/Meas – B
Data/Ops/Alg – C

Probe Standards Questions Sample Problem Sample Response

Number 7 is a similar problem where the

process is to take a given rate and
multiply it by a scalar, but that problem
has a diagram. Justin got problem 7
correct but has difficulty with similar
problems where the information is given
as a word problem without visuals. His
answer was chosen based on reasoning
that 10 and 30 are reltively close, and
that logic lead him to choose 500 over
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT the two responses much further from
7A .7.RP.A.2.B 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13 400.
Work with Justin and show him how he can
create his own diagrams to help support him
when he encounters word problems. Also,
showing the same problem done as a word
Remediation Strategy problem and as a problem with a diagram
 could assist Justin to see how the process is
the same for each. Or show two problems
where the information is the same except for
the numbers, two problems about gas
mileage. This keeps his focus off the word
problem, and will help reduce confusion.

Justin prone to making generalizations

with congruence and similarity. When he
sees congruent he associates it with
being equal, so he sees the outer edges
of the upper tirange as 4 inches, and
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT believes the edges of the lower triangle
.8.G.A.2 4, 10, 14 are also 4 inches.
Grouped with the standard below because
Remediation Strategy the approach is the same.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT Justin thinks complementary angles sum
.7.G.B.5 5 to 100, which sum to 90
Work with Justin to make several graphic
organizers about rules in geometry. This is a
factual error and remediation is rather
straightforward. However, he has also shown
confusion with congruence and similarity by
making generalizations, so I see graphic
organizers helping prevent him from making
those generalizations, and keep track of
Remediation Strategy geometric rules he isn’t familiar with yet.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT
.7.SP.C.5 8 Correct response

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT
.7.RP.A.3 11, 15, 16
Justin is comfortable with diagrams and
visual aids, and seems to grasp ½ as a
fraction more than the rest. I would use
problems with visuals with ½ on represented
one side of an equality, and use the other
side with different denominators to help him
understand how fractions are ratios and
better understand the denominator. When
they are different and to how to see fractions
Remediation Strategy as a whole.
There are two ways to solve this
problem, and both are something that
the student has difficulty with. One is to
solve by multiplying 3/7 by 6 to get
similar denominators and see that x=18.
The other method is to use the algebraic
expression and multiply each side of the
equation by the opposites sides
denominator to find that 7x=126, and
then solve for x=18. Justin’s work has
shown that he struggles with algebraic
expressions and fraction problems
where the denominators are not equal.
In this problem Justin sees that 2 is the
answer with the closest value to 3, and
thinks that the similar numerators means
that the fractions will be close to equal.
 It looks like Justin thinks that the value
for Pi is 3.1 instead of 3.14. Therefore
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT when he multiplies Pi by the radius
7B .7.G.B.4 3,7,11,12,13,14 squared he multiplies by 3.1
Given the following information solve for the
Area of a circle
Radius = 3
Think like the student Area = 𝝿r2 27.9
A way to help Justin is I would sit down
with him and see where his thinking is
and ask him to show me the steps he
would take to solve the problem. When
we got to multiplying by Pi I would then
remind him that Pi is 3.14 and explain
why we use 3.14 for Pi. I would also
incorporate some of his interests into the
problem, for example he likes to go Ice
fishing, in order to fish he would have to
drill a circular hole in the ice so I would
Remediation Strategies Ways to help and assist the student incorporate that into the problem.
 It looks like Justin has difficulty reading
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT all of the directions and following the
.7.G.B.6 1,2,4,5,6,8,9,10,15,16 equations that are given.
Given the following information find the
volume,
V= area of base x height / 3
A= 6
H= 4
Think like the student V=? 24
To help Justin I would have him read
aloud the problem to me and have him
explain his thinking to me. As he goes
through the problem I would remind him
about the directions and to have him
write out the problem. By having him
write everything down he would then be
able to see it out visually. It will also
force him to write out all of the steps in
solving the problem and see that there
Remediation Strategies Ways to help and assist the student more steps to do.
 It looks like Justin has difficulty
multiplying negative numbers. He
understands the multiplication part of the
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7. problem but has trouble with the
7C EE.B.3 4,7,10,12,16 negative.

Given the following information, solve the

equation,
Think like the student -5.2 x -3 = -15.6
I would first start out with basic and
background knowledge on negative
numbers and when it turns positive. I
would do guided practice with Justin and
explain why a number changes to a
positive number or why it stays negative.
After that I would give him a problem and
have him walk me through the steps that
Remediation Strategies Ways to assist and help the student he will take in solving it.

It looks like Justin added up everything

to the right of the equal sign and then
used that as his answer. He also seems
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7. to lack the understanding of solving
EE.B.4.A 9,11,13,14,15 equations.
 Solve the following equation:
5y = 2.5+3.5+7.4+1.6
Thinking like the student y=
Remediation Strategies Ways to help or assist the student
15
I would walk Justin through the steps
needed to solve the equation, reminding
him that “y” needs to be by itself and
divide. After walking him through the
steps I would do guided practice with
him and again remind him how to
properly solve the equation and solve for
y.

Justin incorrectly answered that the

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8. equation should be y = x+ 3
8A F.B.4 2, 7, 11, 16 When the correct answer is y = 3x + 1
 Justin recognizes that the x column is
increasing at a rate of 1, and that the
difference between the y values is three,
therefore the slope is one and the y-intercept
Think like a student is 3. Structure error in linear equation set up
This problem can be difficult if the student
does not fully read the chart. Therefore, the
teacher should have Justin begin by fully
reading the chart, and circling three points
rows that he could use to find the problem.
Then, Justin should take the rows and
arrange them into ordered pairs using the (x,
y), Then, while providing the slope formula,
have Justin using the points and their
assigned subscript to arrange the points into
the formula. If he still is struggling to correctly
use the formula to determine the slope, guide
him through a couple practice problems of
finding slope using the “me-we-you” method
to fully teach the formula. Further, the
teacher should ensure that Justin
understands what the y-intercept should be
(the y-value when x=0). If he continues to
have difficulty identifying the y-intercept,
define once more the definition, and create
guided practice using the “me-we-you”
method while working with both graphs and
Remediation Strategy charts like the one in this problem.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.
EE.B.6
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10,12, 13, 15
Think like a student
Remediation Strategy
Justin incorrectly answered that the
answer is y = 5x +1 when the correct
answer is y = x + 5
Justin knows that one of numbers given is
going to be the b in the y=mx+b equation,
and one will act as the rise/run, which is
attached to the x. Since the y-intercept has a
y in the name, Justin assumes that it is the
number closest to the y in the y=mx+b. And
since 1 is the last one remaining, it must act
as b in the equation.
I would begin by reviewing the names of all of
the parts of y=mx+b (i.e m=slope, b=y-
intercept), to ensure that Justin has some
sort of background with the equation. Next, I
would provide Justin a couple of problems
set up in y=mx+b format, and prompt him to
identify the slope, and the y-intercept in a that
 allows him to distinguish which is which (ex.
Color). I would then have him rewrite the
equation using the colors he chose to write
which one is the slope, and which is the y-
intercept. (y= 3x + 2). Then, transition to a
graph and have him identity the slope and y-
intercept there using colors once more.
Lastly, give Justin problems similar to the
once shown above, and work with him using
“me-we-you” to identify the information being
asked for.

Justin is able to get the correct numbers,

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8. (1 and 7), but circled (-1, 7) as the
EE.C.8.A 3, 14, correct answer.
Set both equations equal to y, set eqs. =.
CARELESS ERROR: Justin did not 2x+5 = -x+8
realize/forgot that when dividing negative -3 = -3x
Think like a student number by a negative that the sign changes. -1 = x
 The teacher should begin by having Justin do
out the problem, and having him circle all of
the negative signs in the problem. Then, the
teacher should prompt Justin with some
questions about dividing negatives by
negatives to gauge his understanding of
when the sign will change. Then, the teacher
should have him work through similar
problems using the “me-we-you” method of
Remediation Strategy instruction

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8. Justin answers 3 when the correct

EE.C.7 1, answer is -3

Justin recognizes that 3+4 is equal to 7.

Therefore, knowing that fact, he circles 3 as
Think like a student his answer.
 This looks to be a careless error, as Justin
recognizes 3+4 is 7. To correct this error,
prompt Justin to read the problem slowly, and
to circle all of the negatives in the problem.
Then, have him rewrite the problem out,
making sure to highlight the negatives. Next,
remind Justin to double check the answer
that he circled, and to plug it back in to
double check that his answer is correct.
Lastly, have Justin work on similar problems
using the “me-we-you” method, and monitor
Remediation Strategy his understand through frequent check-ins.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.
8B G.A.1.C 1 Correct response
 Justin is making generalizations with
problems dealing with congruence and
similarity. He chose the answer that is
the same as the other triangles
respective side. The problem requires
making a ratio between two sides of one
triangle and setting it equal to the ratio of
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8. the unknown side and another in the
G.A.4 2, 4, 6, 7, 16 other triangle.
Use examples where there are no unknown
sides to two congruent triangles to help
Justin begin to understand two congruent
Remediation Strategy triangles where one is a scalar of the other.
 Justin is squaring both sides and adding
them to select his answer. Even though
Justin is given the pythagorean formula
he is making an algebraic error while
working with it. He tends to take the
square root of each side, but his result
comes to AB^2 + BC^2 = C. He sees
C^2 being simplified to C, but he doesn’t
do the same on the opposite side,
because of the two numbers that are
being squared are also being added.
Justin has shown difficulty with algebraic
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8. expressions and that helps explain his
G.B.7 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 error here.
Justin has trouble with algebraic expressions,
so another approach would be to work with
pythagorean problems using the terminology
legs and hypotenuse. He usually has his
math computations correct, and works better
with visual supports. By matching the
terminology to better fit with a diagram, he
will be able to use it to help keep track of the
parts of the formula. He will be more
comfortable thinking here are the legs, I
square them, and that result is the
hypotenuse squared. This will also help with
problems where the hypotenuse isn’t the
unknown, because he can use a diagram to
Remediation Strategy fill in most of what he knows to help him
 figure out the remaining.

Justin has chosen the answer that is

complementary to angle v. The question
requires finding an equivalent angle. He
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7. is likely confused by the rules associated
G.B.5 3, 8, 9, 11 with parallel lines and angles.
Justin has shown many generalizations in
this group of problems and similar problems
in other probes. Graphic organizers will help
him in most of these areas by helping him
remember specific rules and have a visual
support for him to reference until he is
comfortable being able to recall the rules on
Remediation Strategy his own.
 CCSS.MATH.CONTENT Justin answered $52,000.00 when the
8C .6.SP.B.5.A 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 correct answer is $1,900.00
Justin recognizes that $52,000.00 is the
largest number in the chart, and that “mode”
looks like the word “most.” Therefore, since it
is the largest number, and “mode” looks like
Thinking like a student “most,” $52,000.00 is the correct answer.
Review vocabulary with Justin and reteach
when necessary. Then, once Justin
demonstrates a foundational understanding
of the words and their definitions, the teacher
should then begin teaching shortcuts and
synonymous words for remembering the
definitions of mean, median, mode, and
range.
I.e “mode” = MOde = “Most Often”
Lastly, then provide Justin with a few sets of
numbers and ask him to identify mean,
median, mode and range, using the “me-we-
you” method of guided practice if he is still
Remediation strategies struggling with the material.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT Justin answered “mean,” when the
.6.SP.B.5.C 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 correct answers “mode.”
Justin does not like reading, so he does not
fully read the problems.
Further, I feel that, since he does not enjoy
reading, he may be misremembering and/or
did not learn the definitions of mean, median,
Think like a student mode, and range.
To correct this error, I would revisit the
lesson, and work to teach him the definitions
of the vocabulary using the CRA instructional
model. First, using manipulatives, I would
have a set number of counters all of which
would be different colors to help teach Mode.
Then, moving the pictures/diagrams, I would
prompt Justin with a small set numbers and
ask him to find the average (mean), the
number in the very middle (median), and then
abstract concepts by just proving a set of
numbers). Lastly, I would provide Justin
individualized practice and have him work
Remediation Strategies through the problems using the “me-we-you”
model if he was still struggling with the
definitions.