The emphasis on students' communication of their reasoning makes higher order thinking an important attribute of the program. The use of long-term investigations is an excellent means for students to form a solid and deep understanding of mathematical concepts. These are challenging and inviting to students including lower level students, students with language barriers, and accelerated students. Teachers gain ongoing knowledge of student mastery of material from group activities and student assignments. The program recognizes the need for varied assessment devices so that students, regardless of learning style or ability, have ample opportunity to demonstrate the levels of learning they have attained.
Students are also able to assess their own strengths and weaknesses as they complete assignments.
Both formal and informal methods of assessment are provided daily, and most follow the same format as the individual lessons and warm-ups. The alternate test forms and chapter projects and activities offer other types of assessment. Information is supplied to teachers on how to select assessment tools, how to score and evaluate them, and the use of a wide variety of assessment devices. Technology assessments are both within the lesson and included as separate activities. The close correlation between the learning goals and the individual assessment items provide unique strength to the assessment program.