Matecanas, an Approach to Authentic Evaluation in Mathematical Competencies

Abstract

At the regional, national, and international levels, mathematics competitions are often closely tied to pure knowledge, making it challenging to authentically assess mathematical competencies for real-world applications. The goal is to demonstrate that the MateCanas competition serves as an approximation for authentic assessment with a task situated in a quasi-real context, providing authenticity and promoting the development of problem-solving skills related to motion and location. The active method is action, and the technique used was group competition to address the problematic situation using manipulable drawing and measurement materials. Twenty teams with 80 5th-grade high school students and 20 teachers participated. The results indicate that, in the capacities of modeling objects with geometric shapes and using procedures and strategies, the achievement level is "B" in the construction process. In argumentation, the level is a minimum of "C" at the beginning stage, while autonomous work results in achievement at level "A." It is concluded that the competition and its capacities are in the construction process, as the learning sessions are not fully focused on developing competencies but rather on cognitive objectives, requiring more teacher effort.