Math Skills Prioritised in the Evaluation of Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This study deals with the matter of evaluation in early childhood education concerning mathematical knowledge. It aims to identify which skills are prioritised in the evaluation of preschool classes from a public school. The methodological design is the Case Study, and it is based on the documentary analysis. Fifty-two descriptive evaluation documents elaborated by eight teachers were analysed, taking into account the objectives provided by the Brazilian National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education. The data indicate that most of the mathematical skills related to “Number and Numbering System”, “Greatness and Measures” and “Space and Shape” are evaluated and recorded in the documents. It is noteworthy the absence of references to the notions of successor and predecessor, comparison of numeric writings, the monetary system, and bi and three-dimensional representations of objects.