The Numeracy Check supports year 1 teachers to assess students’ mathematical thinking and what they can do in mathematics.

What the Numeracy Check involves

All year 1 teachers will administer the one-to-one interview with students using interactive resources in term 1 2026.

The Numeracy Check assesses year 1 student progress in the number domains:

• counting
• place value
• strategies for addition and subtraction
• strategies for multiplication and division.

This will provide:

• year 1 teachers with information to support numeracy planning and an efficient way to identify students who may need additional support
• leaders with a snapshot of student cohort data.

Support from the department

Our department will support all government schools by providing:

• training to year 1 teachers and school leaders to use the Numeracy Check; this ensures high quality and consistency
• materials and resources.

About the Numeracy Check

The Numeracy Check is based on the Mathematics Assessment Interview (MAI) – developed by the Australian Catholic University and Monash University. It is an evidence informed tool that assesses critical stages of student development using a framework of growth points. Growth points describe progressions in learning towards mathematical understanding and fluency.

The MAI was modified for the South Australian context (MAI SA) and successfully trialled with 95 department schools in 2024.