What is the most effective way to measure children’s minds
and abilities? The answer to that question is widely debated. In the United
States, standardized tests are frequently used to measure children’s academic
achievement. However, many experts believe that standardized testing does not effectively
measure whole child development.
According to Edutopia:
“A knowledge-based, highly technological economy requires that students master higher-order thinking skills and that they are able to see the relationships among seemingly diverse concepts. These abilities -- recall, analysis, comparison, inference, and evaluation -- will be the skills of a literate twenty-first-century citizen. And they are the kinds of skills that aren't measured by our current high-stakes tests. In addition, skills such as teamwork, collaboration, and moral character -- traits that aren't measured in a typical standardized tests -- are increasingly important. Businesses are always looking for employees with people skills and the ability to get along well with coworkers.”
I agree that
assessing skills such as teamwork and collaboration could positively benefit
our young children. Rather than focusing on standardized testing, there are
other methods that could better measure the “whole child.” Performance based
assessments allow children to do tasks that are meaningful and engaging. Some
schools include student portfolios and presentations to measure student
understanding. Rather than filling in the circles to multiple choice tests,
students should be able to build, invent or lead a presentation to show what
they know.
School-aged
children around the world are assessed in different ways. I was curious of how
students in Singapore have been assessed. The main purpose of testing in
Singapore is determine student placement within their education system. The
students are often required to memorize a large amount of information. Students
here want to do well in their national exams which will greatly affect their
futures. In Singapore, the top performing schools receive cash awards. This award
is a big incentive for teachers.
Just tonight, I was
reading in the newspaper about some schools in Dakota County (in Minnesota)
that are experimenting with new school models. These schools are using
project-based learning which will allow students to progress at their own pace.
In this article, a school board member named Tera Lee said “Let’s figure out
how we can meet the need of students for the world we live in – not the world
of 100 years ago.” Children in these schools are not grouped by age, but by
academic needs.
I would love to
visit one of these schools to learn more about this model of learning. I love
to see schools moving away from the traditional school model as they learn how they can best meet students’ needs.
Resources
Magan, C. (2013, December 8). Reinventing the classroom. Pioneer Press, pp. A1, A8.
Great post! We as teachers of young children need to be aware of the different ways of gathering and using information. We need to know the strengths and limitations of a range of assessment options and we must remain sensitive and flexible in the ways we learn about children. I do not think that there are any techniques or instruments that will disclose everything that we need to know about a child.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You gave very insightful information and I agree that as teachers you need to know of different ways to gather information when it comes to assessing. As teachers we know that you can't measure a child's intelligence by giving them an IQ test.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your blog posting. Here in the U.S. we do place too much emphasis on assessment only to measure student achievement. I do believe that portfolios should be used on all grade levels to show an overall snapshot of the student. Singapore seems to be ahead of the game as far as student assessments and meeting the needs of the student. The U.S. should send representatives to spend time in these other countries to learn more effective strategies to increase student achievement. Thank you for sharing this information.
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