Looking for mathematical pathways: does assessment point the way?

Resulting from the Smith Inquiry into the teaching and learning of mathematics for those aged fourteen and above has been the development of new models of assessment in an attempt to meet the demand for different pathways for young people in and through mathematics. This paper reports one dimension of an evaluation of the ongoing work that attempts to understand the developing terrain in relation to these new assessment models. We report the methodology we have adopted and the development of a framework which allows scrutiny of each item of an assessment component to contribute to a profile for important domains of what it is to undertake mathematical activity. To illustrate how this then allows us to gain an overview of how qualifications might operate and therefore lead classroom experiences of learners we focus on qualifications for sixteen year olds and discuss these in relation to how they might operate in a landscape that provides pathways in mathematical progression.