Why are un-simplified fractions scored as incorrect?
- Students should follow the methods used in solving the Big Ideas Math Examples. The lesson examples generally do not leave fractions in un-simplified form, so students should follow this pattern and simplify fractions.
When an exercise requires a student to enter a variable as part of the solution, why is the scoring case sensitive?
- Throughout the Dynamic Assessment System, variable entry is case-sensitive. As students progress in mathematics, they will encounter formulas that use the same letter (one uppercase and one lowercase) to represent two different quantities. Because uppercase and lowercase variables can have different meanings, students must enter variables using the case that matches the given information.
When a student enters an answer that is only off by a few decimal places, why doesn't the student receive credit?
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It is possible that the student made a rounding error.
- Students should always enter exact answers unless an item specifies rounding. If the item does say to round, then the student is expected to round as directed. This is generally consistent with the Big Ideas Math Examples.
- Students should not round in intermediate steps. Rounding intermediate steps is contrary to the Mathematical Practice "Attend to precision," and the Big Ideas Math textbook examples are generally solved without rounding until the final step. Following this pattern, we expect students to round only their final answer (when the item specifies rounding).