Friday, April 6, 2012
Measures of Assessment
I have hated the idea of formal standardized testing since I had to take them in grade school. My dislike for such test increased when I began teaching in the classroom and I realized the focus was not if the child has mastered the skill but more on the overall performance of the school and what it said about the school and its admin team. There has to be some type of measurement to assess mastery of skills, but it should be modified to support the various learning styles. By doing so, a more accurate depiction of what a child has mastered can been seen. As teachers, modify lessons for the various types of intelligences in their classrooms, test takers should be allowed the option to show mastery in a format that best suits their learning style. As we all learn differently, we also express our intellect and mastery differently. In ECE I think social emotional growth and development should be assessed only. Without foundations of social emotional competency, children will have a difficult time in school and in life. As children get older, math and literacy skills should be assessed but in a manner that aligns with individual learning styles.
In Australia, children are formally tested at certain grade levels; 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th grade. The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numbers (NAPLAN) consists of multiple choice, short answer, and extended response questions. NAPLAN is used to assess how students are progressing in the study of literacy and math. Number, writing, reading and language are assessed with this test.
NAPLAN sounds very similar to those standardized test children are given in the US, as they too are also used to measure the quality of teachers and the schools.
References:
National Assessment Program Literacy and Numbers (2012). Ourkidz. Retrieved from http://ourkidz.com.au/content/view/87/156/lang,en/
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Like you wrote on my blog, I completely agree with your thoughts on test-taking. I try extremely hard to be light hearted about testing, telling students this is a way for me to see what you know and to help those that need the extra help. I honestly think that kids are so used to testing now that they are not as overwhelmed. Most of our testing is not a grade so kids seem a bit more relaxed. I just ask that they improve their score from the last time.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I do support the method of standardized testing to gather a baseline, I don't believe that standardized testing depicts the whole picture of the child. Sometimes tests are intimidating, sometimes children are hungry, sometimes children are homeless, sometimes a child might not have slept well or is ill. These are all adverse situations that can yield negative results to children taking test. Yet not of these conditions are considered when results are tallied.
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