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
Hi Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteI believe assessments can be beneficial if they are place in there right perspective and used as part of the total indication of what tells what the child is or not capable of doing. Assessments alone do not indicate the whole picture of what a child can or can not do.
Andrea
Hi Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteIn your first paragraph you mention that you believe that standardized testing should be one of the components of assessment. Based on your experiences what benefits do you see to standardized testing? I believe that since ‘bubble tests’ are a very real component of the United States education system it’s important to teach children test taking skills, but I have a difficult time believing in the value they add to a child’s educational experience or the accuracy with which they represent a child’s learning. I, like you, do not know of a perfect assessment tool to use, however I wonder what would result if we trusted teachers to act as the professionals they are and allowed schools to assess students in ways that aligned with their school culture while still clearly making students thinking and learning visible and transparent to those who are responsible for monitoring a schools quality. There is such a strong pull in the United States to provide everyone with the same and equal experience, however, not all children need the same thing and therefore offering them the same test in order to determine how much they know or how well their teacher has taught them, seems in some ways nonsensical. I also wonder about the cultural impact of cognitive development and the idea that what children learn and how they learn it, are influenced by the community in which they live (Berger, 2014). Standardized tests ask children to prove their understanding in one very specific way and by answering questions that potentially have very little connection to their own experiences or contexts. A child may actually know how to complete a mathematical operation being asked for on a standardized test, but if it is buried within a story problem about objects or story characters that they have not yet come across in their lives, they may be unable to understand the question in order to actually demonstrate what is being asked for.
I do think I have a relatively negative perception of standardized tests (although I personally enjoy taking them!), but I also think I have plenty more to learn about the topic and would love to hear about your experiences!
References
Berger, K.S. (2015). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers
I agree Chrissy that testing can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. It may cause them not to perform well. Some students are not good test takers.
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