Number sense explained

What is number sense?

Number sense is a pupil's grasp of what numbers mean: how big a number is, where it sits next to other numbers, how it's written and how many things are in a group. It's what lets a pupil judge which of two numbers is larger, estimate a sensible answer or notice that a result can't be right.

How our test measures it

The Maths and Dyscalculia screener, for pupils aged 7 to 16, reports number sense as two areas.

Number understanding: Number line (moving a dot to where a number belongs on a line), Size (Symbolic Magnitude: clicking the bigger of two numbers), Ordering (Ordering Numbers: dragging numbers into order, smallest to biggest) and Writing numbers (hearing a number and typing it).
Quantity understanding: Counting dots (Enumeration: counting the dots on screen as quickly as possible) and Estimating (Subitising: seeing dots for two seconds, then typing how many there were).

Implications (in class and at home)

In class, a pupil with weaker number sense may follow a method but struggle to judge which number is larger, misread the value of a digit, or not notice when an answer is far too big or small. At home, it can show up with prices, measurements, scores and time.

Implications of a low score in our test

A low score in Number understanding or Quantity understanding suggests the pupil finds it harder than most pupils their age to work with the size and meaning of numbers. Placing numbers on a line and comparing numbers are among the most consistently found research markers of dyscalculia, so these scores matter. Even so, the screener only reports signs of dyscalculia when below-average results are concentrated across the maths areas, and it checks other explanations first, such as language, slower processing or low scores everywhere. The maths norms are first-generation, from 954 pupils in 15 schools. A screening result is not a diagnosis, and it's one point in time.