Counting & Matching Numbers Numeracy Assessment: Foundation supports your students in developing early number sense through hands-on, visual, and interactive tasks. This resource is designed to assess students’ ability to name, represent and match numbers up to at least 20 using dot patterns, numerals and object collections—core concepts in early numeracy development.

This flexible resource can be used for both formative and summative assessment and is equally effective in small group instruction, whole-class review or intervention sessions. Whether you're collecting data for a report, preparing for parent-teacher interviews or identifying learning goals for individual students, this assessment will give you valuable insight into student understanding. A detailed and editable Australian Curriculum-aligned rubric is included to support consistent, clear and purposeful assessment. The accompanying answer sheet ensures marking is efficient and time-saving.

Counting & Matching Numbers Numeracy Assessment: Foundation focuses on three interconnected skills: recognising numerals, counting quantities and making visual matches between numbers and sets. Students will demonstrate their understanding by matching numerals to groups of dots, identifying correct or incorrect representations of numbers, and making corrections by crossing out extra items to match the number shown.

This assessment supports student reasoning and self-correction while building number fluency, one-to-one correspondence and number recognition. It also provides opportunities to reinforce key vocabulary such as “match,” “more,” “less,” “same” and “count.” By working through real counting and comparison situations, students grow their confidence and develop flexibility in how they see and understand numbers.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Recognise and name numbers up to at least 20
• ✅ Match numerals to dot patterns and object groups
• ✅ Count quantities using one-to-one correspondence
• ✅ Adjust quantities by identifying and correcting mismatches
• ✅ Use visual reasoning to connect number symbols and amounts

What’s Included:

• Student assessment worksheets with a variety of matching and correcting tasks
• Editable Australian Curriculum-aligned teacher rubric
• Answer sheet for easy and consistent marking

Materials Needed:

• Printed assessment worksheets
• Pencils and coloured markers
• Counting manipulatives or counters (optional)
• Number lines, dot cards or reference visuals for support

How to Use:

• Start with a warm-up using dot cards or number flashcards to revise number recognition and matching.
• Model the assessment task by showing how to match a numeral to a group of dots using colours.
• Guide students to count each group and determine whether it matches the numeral shown.
• Have students colour correct groups and cross out extras in incorrect ones to adjust and match.
• Observe students as they work, taking note of one-to-one correspondence and correction strategies.
• Use the rubric to record your observations and assess student progress.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use in small group numeracy stations for teacher-led assessment
• 💡 Add to early learning portfolios as evidence of number recognition and understanding
• 💡 Include in goal-setting meetings or student-led conferences
• 💡 Use mid-term and end-of-term to track growth in number fluency and correction skills
• 💡 Incorporate into intervention groups to support targeted instruction in matching and number formation

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model matching and correction with concrete materials like counters or unifix cubes before starting
• 💛 Encourage students to talk through their thinking as they count and correct, building verbal number fluency
• 💛 Use number lines or reference visuals to scaffold learning and reduce frustration for developing learners
• 💛 Create and Match: Have students design their own dot patterns and challenge a partner to match them to a numeral
• 💛 Counting Beyond 20: Provide extra challenges for confident students to extend matching skills to numbers up to 30
• 💛 Review and revisit the assessment throughout the year to monitor understanding and adjust your teaching focus

Counting & Matching Numbers Numeracy Assessment: Foundation offers a purposeful and hands-on way to assess your students’ ability to count, match and adjust numbers. It is a flexible and reliable tool to support targeted early number instruction and capture student progress throughout the year.