This week we have been challenged to answer the question:
What is the most effective way to measure children’s abilities? I believe the
answer to this question does not rest in a single method, but in a combination
of methods in order to best measure each child’s knowledge and abilities. Most
school systems in the United States rely on the results of standardized tests
to measure student achievement. But how many children (and even adults) excel
with the standard pencil and paper exam? Or even newer, computer based exams
with question after question being asked? Tests like these should only be one
component of measuring student achievement. They should not be the end-all,
be-all measure we rely on. As we know, people learn in a variety of ways. Some people
are visual learners, others auditory, others kinesthetic, and so on. People
excel in different subjects. So why are we only testing children one way? It is
my opinion that children’s knowledge and abilities need to be tested through
teacher observations, student demonstrations or presentations and samples of
completed work collected over a period of time, in addition to the occasional
standardized test. This will create a
more comprehensive view of the student’s abilities, and highlight areas in need
of improvement for reteaching.
Children’s
knowledge should not be measured by one test on one day in their life. Many
factors influence children’s achievement on such standardized tests. If the
child is hungry, tired, ill, or emotionally distraught due to a personal event,
the test results will be skewed and will not be a true representation of what
the child knows or can do.
As part
of my research this week, I sought to find out more about how children are
assessed in another part of the world. For this assignment, I chose Argentina,
a country dear to my heart because my husband was born there, and attended
school there until age thirteen. I researched how children are educated there
today, compared to what he remembers.
According to my research, children in Argentina are assessed by teacher
made tests and observations. Standardized testing for reading comprehension is
done in grades three, six, nine and twelve. Other than that, standardized tests
are not used except for admission to universities. When talking to my husband, he remembers
attending school in the morning, wearing a uniform, and learning subjects
similar to those taught here in the US. He recalls taking written tests, both
open and closed book, making posters, and doing presentations in front of the
class. Combining these methods presents a much larger picture of the student’s
knowledge than each method alone.
I am
concerned with the weight the results of standardized testing is having on our
children today. Children are pressured to perform well on these tests, and are
often “taught to the test”, at the expense of learning other things. I am
concerned that we as a society are putting too much stress on these tests and
not looking at children’s achievements as a whole. Children should be assessed
as a whole person, not just one test on one day. It is my hope that more
educators will stand up and say “This is wrong. We should assess children’s
achievement using a variety of methods, not just one.”
