I think when considering a commitment to view young children holistically some things should be measured and assessed. The standard assessment that schools use is not the way to go to assess each student individually because some students may get it easily and other students may understand it but not be able to show that on paper. I think their level of thinking should be assessed. This could be simply done by giving them a scenario and having them write in their own words about that scenario. This would show what concepts they know and how the comprehend those concepts. Simple tests of words they know compared to what they should know if another simple test that shows what they know and what they don't of those words. The way the students responds to oral questions is another great way to measure what they know with the formal testing, it is a great form of informal assessment that has no pressure compared to that of a written test.
The way students are assessed in Africa differ greatly from that of the United States. In Africa a simple if the student can read or not is a form of assessment. They also use classroom based assessment that has shown to be struggling because of the lack of academics in the area. There is very few assessments used in Africa and of those used, it is reported that it shows low academic progress.
Informal assessment in my opinion is a good way for both the child and the teacher. There is a sense of trust when the interaction is not a formal agenda of structured questions.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynette! I have to admit, I am not a fan of standardized testing. Students each have their own way of learning and with that their own way of responding to tests. I love your suggestion of using oral questions as a way of testing. My son has a speech disability and I had to argue that very point. In Kindergarten last year, he was being failed for not being able to provide the letter sound. The would give him the letter and tell him to make the sound, but then fail for not being able to make it. How can he do that if his disability prevents him from doing so. I had to argue that they need an alternative way to test him. Finally, I got it added to his IEP. The teacher would give him the sound and he would point to the letter. He went from failing the letter sound test to passing it 100%. Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas.
ReplyDeleteI agree about oral and open-ended testing where children would write what they know about a subject. Rubrics could be developed to assess where a child is. It is unfortunate that the work we do in early childhood education, where we try to foster individual learning styles and meet individual needs, is undone in schools where everyone is lumped together and expected to learn the same things at the same rate. We had an issue with our second child, a boy. When I met with the superintendent about the issue, she said to me, "Josh is an independent thinker and knows he doesn't fit into "the box" of public education." He quit school 3 months before graduation but because the superintendent realized his intelligence and abilities, she let him finish at home. How many drop-outs could be prevented if school systems developed better ways to assess student achievement? Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteLaurie Parker