As part of my personal philosophy of education, I believe that there is a basic core of knowledge that each child must posses in order to be successful in the world. Given this philosophy, the only way to be sure that each child has this core knowledge would be through assessment. Assessment can take on many forms and it is important that each assessment is valid, fair, and reliable. In caring for the child as a whole, or through a holistic view, there must be many types of assessment used to gauge a child's learning and ability.
One type of assessment that can specifically pinpoint knowledge are standardized tests. These tests are designed to assess the knowledge that a child has currently mastered. However, understanding that each child is unique, there are some children who do not test well. Perhaps they are unable to concentrate for long periods of time, they lack the understanding of the language of the test questions, or they simply panic during these tests. This would cause standardized tests for students to be invalid.
Another type of assessment is through observation. Observing students as they learn is a great tool for assessment, as students are more likely to perform in their comfort zone as observation usually takes place in a natural setting such as the classroom. Students are more likely to be confident in their abilities if they know they are not being tested in pencil and paper form. Observations must be from an impartial point of view and must be without bias from the observer.
Portfolios also are a form of assessment as they provide a visual picture of the child's learning and abilities over a period of time. Portfolios can take on many forms. There are many aspects to the validity of portfolios in that they must be aligned with daily classroom activities and show a true visual of the students learning.
All three assessments listed above must be combined in order to provide a detailed report of a students learning and abilities. There is great benefit to the students when teachers and educator use several types of assessment in order to effectively understand and provide proof of a students learning. Assessment is an area of education that is always changing and needs to be looked at with each individual child.
As the US is always comparing our school system to China's school system, I thought it would be interesting to look at the assessment form of China's students. An article written by the New York Times does just that. Written by an American parent who was living in China with her school age children, she reports that children in China's schools are constantly being tested through paper and pencil tests. They are thought of in China as normal parts of the school day, not anxiety provoking assessments as they are thought of here in the United States. Children are evaluated simply based on these standardized assessments. I also found it interesting that in China, college entrance exams are the sole basis of where a student is placed in college! China would not fit in well to the US's view of the child as a whole!
Reference:
Rosenthal, E. (2010, September 11). Testing, the Chinese way. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Dear Stacy,
ReplyDeleteChinese are very energetic and hardworking. Experience shows that they are also very good in mathematics. My children studied with them in Canada and confirmed that no other nationality can beat their mathematical skills. Just as you observed, they are assessed through normal classroom testing, so over time, they have developed boldness to face tests. Just like what we have in Nigeria, College entrance exams and aptitude test is solely used for college and university admissions and majorly through paper tests.
Hi, Stacy,
ReplyDeleteI thought assessment by an observers is interesting and a good idea. In that way, children are assessed objectively, which I think gives the most precise results. Also, I think we can focus more on who they are or what strengths they have, and teachers can apply the results to how to approach the children.
It sounds like China places a lot of emphasis on testing. I can't imagine being placed on my college path based on the scores of a test! I like what you said about using a variety of assessment tools including observation. I spend a lot of time taking anecdotal notes on the children in my classroom to help me get a picture of where they are. We also use portfolio's and take a lot of photos to show parents what their children do at school and what they are learning. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very thorough and educational post!
ReplyDeleteThe key part I picked up in your information about China is that standardized tests do not provoke anxiety or pressure. If we could find a way to translate that in the United States the classroom would be a better place. My logic behind this is we grow up anxious about tests, then we become teachers who have to give those tests and are then evaluated based on our students' performance. This is not a very positive circle of events that continues through the recent generations. While I agree the whole of the student should be evaluated for college, maybe the Chinese have hit a nail on the head with the fact tests are accepted as a normal part of the day.
I appreciate that you listed several forms of assessment. I wish that our society would start looking at children as a whole child instead of a test score. I also found it very interesting that you noted that test taking in China is a normal part of their day, not a stress-provoking event. I think the US could take some tips from China in this aspect, because I don't know of one American child who's heart doesn't start beating a little faster when it's testing time!
ReplyDelete~Amanda