Assessments - good and bad, but how?

What should we assess about children? This is truly a struggle I have had with myself since beginning my teaching career.   Do I think we need assessments? YES! How would be we know where children are and where they need to go next in education without them? Do I agree with all assessments – NO!  Many are very one-sided where they measure student’s academic ability in written form but some children do better verbally and visually.  How should we assess children? Ultimately I think they should be assessed in the form they do best with – verbal, visual, written, computer etc. 

What should be measured? In a school setting, children in the kindergarten-1^st grade age group should be monitored  (but not limited to…):

Letter formation and recognition

Sound acquisition

Sight word knowledge

Counting skills (1’s,2,5,10, even odd)

Reading ability

Writing

Fine motor/gross motor skills

Social domain (friend ships, role play/situations)

As much as I think assessment is good and bad, I also think the assessments should show growth as in how much the child has attained over time to not only show if the child is learning, but is the teachers teaching style working? These assessments should be done in a variety of direct and indirect measures including anecdotal observations, written (from children), check lists, event counting, etc. 

“Whenever a measurement is applied to a group of people of any age, especially a group that is diverse in background, experience, aptitude, development, culture, language, and interests, some will rank higher and some lower than others on any item assessed. All measures yield such differences, and it is thus statistically impossible for all those subjected to the same assessment to be above average!” (Katz, 1997). Children should not be marked with a letter grade but with the possibility of: Distinguished, Proficient, Apprentice, Novice. 

 Dr. Katz also suggested allowing children to assess their own work and to make their own goals in education.  While teaching in Kentucky, we were starting this “goal setting” in the district I taught for and it was really interesting to see children striving to reach their own goals! Of course we as teachers guided them into the realm of what was appropriate but the children were taking ownership of their learning.  

In Japan, the education system relies on standardized testing for assessments in the early years to prepare children as they enter secondary schools.  “Students in Japan apply to high schools that they want to attend and get admitted based on their performance on the schools high stakes exams.  The only national examination in Japan’s public education system is the college entrance exam conducted by the Ministry of Education every January. Students with high scores on the common national exam must then take individual university exams at the schools they wish to attend” (Kirkland,2001). 

Japan has had an initiative for more individualized learning to get children to think independently in the challenges of today’s society. “By drawing links between different topics, phenomena and outcomes, the intention was to strengthen student competency and cultivate creative thinking” (Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education). 

Japan does have a national curriculum to follow including textbooks and resources for all schools.  Class sizes are as large as 45 students and as small as 33.  Students are expected to learn and Japan certainly has high expectations for their scholars and their performance. Their teachers are held in high regard and also earn more in salary than any other public worker in Japan.  Parents also pay a large portion of their child’s education including after school tutors and help to ensure their child gets into the best secondary schools. 

Katz, Lillian. (April, 1997). A Developmental Approach to the Assessment of Young Children. ERIC Digest, EDO-PS-97-18.

Kirkland, David.  (2001). US perspectives on student assessments in other countries.  Michigan State University. Retrieved from http://ott.educ.msu.edu/excellence/web/publications/perspectives_on_student_assessment.pdf

Pearson foundation.  (2013, June13). Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/oecd/japan.html#sthash.Hk7Y4M4U.dpuf