I think children should be assessed throughout the school year on skills they will need to be successful in the workplace, which you will not find on a standardized test. Students should be assessed on their creativity, their problem solving skills in real time, and how they work in a group. I also think they need to be exposed and assessed on how well they can use technology, because technology is becoming a big part of the future. Job applications are done online now, they need to know how to type a resume, and do other basic computer functions. It is important to asses academics as well, but this can be done informally throughout they year, it does not and should not be based strictly on standardized assessments. I found an article on Education Week that gave a great example, "A standardized test asks students to name the steps of the scientific method. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have students do a science project that demonstrates their understanding of the application of the scientific method? And since projects can be set at any level, such an assessment would be perfect for special-needs students of all types" (Lee, E., 2016).
New Zealand
In New Zealand primary school is ages 5-6 (Years 1-6). According to the New Zealand Education website, students are regularly assessed in reading, writing, and math against expectations for their age level which is set by New Zealand's National Standards. This sounded like they take standardized assessments, but it wasn't clear to me so I continued searching. According to the New Zealand Learning System website they eliminated national standards in 2018. It goes on to say that this was done to acknowledge that children learn at different rates, and to enable teachers to provide a broader range of learning opportunities for students (New Zealand: Learning Systems - NCEE). The website goes on to say that there are no national tests the first 10 years of school, assessments take place internally at the school level. There are two sampling tests given in grades 4 and 8 to monitor the nations progress, but these tests do not have consequences for students or teachers (New Zealand: Learning Systems - NCEE).
References:
Lee, E., (2016). Let's Assess the Whole Child. Let's Assess the Whole Child (Opinion) (edweek.org)
New Zealand Education website New Zealand education system - NZ school system | Study in New Zealand
New Zealand Learning Systems New Zealand: Learning Systems - NCEE
I am in agreement with children not just being assessed based on standardized testing. Some children do well on test some do not. This does not mean that the child who does not do well on a test does not know the information. It could be that the child is not a good test taker. During the technology world that we live in, children can easily google the answers to a test. To me, it’s more relevant to ensure children understand the concepts of how something works. Technology is an important factor in child development. As parents and educators, we need to learn how to implement a healthy amount of technology in the curriculum. I am happy that New Zealand evaluated their standardized testing practice and implement another approach to assess children.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jes. I didn't think about assessing children on their computer skills but you are right. Everything is done on the computer now. Technology is only getting more advanced and children need to know how to use it. Some parents of young children don't want their children using Ipads and tablets to much, that's understandable. But starting in kindergarten, here n Ohio, they are using chrome books everyday and have to navigate through multiple sights. They know more Some of the children know how to do think I don't even know how to do.
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteI agree that children should be assessed on things they will need to be successful within a workplace. In addition, to the skills you listed I believe leadership skills and resiliency should be included. I like providing children with skills that allow them to demonstrate that they can be a leader if need be. I often provide the children in my care with leadership opportunities and I encourage them to create ways to be a leader. Often, I assign different task to different children to provide them opportunity to demonstrate their skills. Do you think leadership skills should also be assessed?