🔢Lantite numeracy preparation

Lantite = Literacy and Numeracy Test or Initial teacher Education Students conducted by ACER.

To ensure a trained, skilled and knowledgeable workforce – initial teacher education students are tested to ensure they meet the demands of providing high quality education to every student.

Standards 3.1 and 3.2 of the National Program Standards in the Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia give an indication of levels of literacy and numeracy required by new teachers:

• 3.1: All entrants to initial teacher education will successfully demonstrate their capacity to engage effectively with a rigorous higher education program and to carry out the intellectual demands of teaching itself. To achieve this, it is expected that applicants’ levels of personal literacy and numeracy should be broadly equivalent to those of the top 30 per cent of the population; and
• 3.2: Providers who select students who do not meet the requirements in 3.1 above must establish satisfactory additional arrangements to ensure that all students are supported to achieve the required standard before graduation. In efforts to interpret the meaning of the ‘top 30 per cent of the population’ referred to in Standard 3.1, a number of approaches have been implemented.

The Lantite Numeracy test contains 65 questions to be answered in 2 hours. Section A (52 questions) allows the use of an onscreen calculator; whereas in section B (13 questions) no calculator is permitted. The test contains questions that relate to the following three parts:

Identifying mathematical information and meaning in activities and texts

This section relates to your ability to identify and extract the maths embedded in a contextualised task. This can be something simply like: 10 apples were to be divided among Joe, Bill and Mary. Joe had 4 apples and Bill had 2. What percentage did Mary have? Or it can be something more complex like that demonstrated in the example here.

Using and applying mathematical knowledge and problem solving processes

This section relates explicitly to doing the mathematics and includes estimating, and using a range of mathematical skills, methods, strategies and tools.

Interpreting, evaluating, communicating and representing mathematics

This section relates to the ability to interpret, evaluate, communicate and represent the mathematics embedded in a situation. This includes use of common mathematical symbolism, notation and conventions, and representations such as graphs and tables that are evident in real-world contexts.

Preparing for Lantite

In preparing for the numeracy test, I focused on sharpening my skills in:

• Number and Algebra
• Measurement and Geometry
• Statistics and Probability

I will create posts that summarise each of these topics. I will link the topics above when they are created. If you have any questions or need me to pop up a further explanation please email me through the contact form.

Some notes I made and questions I have already answered:

• Fractional thinking: finding common denominators through multiplication here.
• Fractions summary notes here.
• Decimals and rounding notes here.
• Percentages and decimal notes here.

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