How should school-aged children be measured or assessed?
When thinking about assessment in school-aged children I believe they should be tested the traditional way (standardized testing) but also through observation and conversation. Being able to engage with children in conversation about specific learning objectives will determine whether or not they understand what is being taught. Observation can be a powerful tool for teachers because they can easily jot down the specifics on the children and see the progression/growth the children are making. I stated children should be assessed using the traditional method because I do not know of a perfect assessment tool to use across the board. Testing can give children anxiety and the results won't show their knowledge which could lead to negative affects on the child or school.
How are children in other parts of the world being assessed?
Assessments are usually held annually, and they are the main criteria to promote the students to higher grades or to retain them in the same grade (Khattak, 2012). Children in Pakistan are assessed by their school, same as the children living in the United States. There are eight key features that the National Curriculum 2007/10 use for benchmarks or standards in Pakistan, those are; standard/competencies driven, learning objectives correspond to students' learning outcomes, progressive approaches, life skills are integrated across subjects, vertical/horizontal connections are ensured, promote creative writing and analytical thinking, detailed guidelines are provided for effective delivery of curriculum, and guidelines are provided for assessment/evaluation (Khattak, 2012).
References:
Khattak, S. (2012). Assessment in schools in Pakistan. SA-eDUC JOURNAL, 9. Retrieved from www.nwu.ac.za/sites/www.nwu.ac.za/files/files/p-saeduc/New_Folder_1/6_Assessment%20in%20schools%20in%20Pakistan.pdf
