Are Manipulatives Necessary for Assessing Early Operations?

David Furjanic, Jason L. Anthony, Jeffrey M. Williams, Matthew E. Foster, Mike A. Assel, Coleen D. Carlson, Thanh Pham, Noé Erazo, Rightpath Research , Innovation Center, University of South Florida, University of Denver, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Houston

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment

Published online on March 12, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Ahead of Print.
Tangible manipulatives are commonly used to teach mathematics and assess the mathematics understanding of young learners. However, manipulatives have drawbacks during assessment. To evaluate the utility and necessity of manipulatives during assessment of ...