What mathematical concepts are emphasized in the MERIT assessment?

The MERIT assessment places a significant emphasis on number sense and operations because these foundational skills are critical for a student's overall mathematical development. Number sense refers to a person's ability to understand, interpret, and work with numbers effectively. This includes recognizing numbers, understanding their value, and performing basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Operations are central to mathematics as they form the core of many mathematical processes and applications, enabling students to solve problems and reason quantitatively. By focusing on number sense and operations, the MERIT assessment ensures that students possess the essential building blocks necessary for success in more advanced mathematical concepts and applications, such as algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability, which often rely on a solid understanding of basic number sense.

In contrast to the other options, while they also represent important areas of mathematics, the fundamental skills related to number sense and operations are prioritized in the early grades to ensure that students build a strong base for future learning and application in various mathematical contexts.