http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbSp88PBe9E
Change the First Five Years and Change Everything is a video that for me, speaks to child development and what we have learned in this class. The video compares the reality for some children with the possibilities is someone is willing to invest in them.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Assessing Young Children
There are, of course, pros and cons to assessing young children. The conversation gets even more complex when you begin to consider how to assess a child in a manner that looks at the whole child. Learning in young children is a global process, however, most tests look at narrow and specific skills. Those assessments that do look at several domains may only provide a generalized view of the child. It is important to remember that children grow and change quickly and as Stassen Berger (2009) points out “intellectual potential changes over time”. She also states “even with a battery of test, assessment can be inaccurate”. This is especially true when culture and home language are taken into consideration. The question of testing young children gets even more complex when various theories of intelligence, such as Sternberg’s or Gardner’s views of multiple intelligences or emotional intelligence (EI), are considered. Benson (2003) states that “These very different theories have one thing in common: the assumption that traditional theories and tests fail to capture essential aspects of intelligence” but that “would-be reformers face significant challenges in convincing the testing community that theories that sound great on paper--and may even work well in the laboratory--will fly in the classroom”.
I do believe that the practice of assessing children has some benefits. That said, it is important to remember that many assessments only provide a snapshot of a child on a specific day and in a specific context and that a number of different assessments may be needed to give a more holistic view of the child. It is also important to consider the purpose for the assessment and how the assessment information will be used. In the school setting, testing should serve a dual purpose. Assessment information can provide important information about a child’s current level of development, strengths and areas needing additional support. Most importantly, it can be an effective way to inform teaching and program improvement. As Snow and Hemel (2008) point out “assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children’s well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in context of systematic planning and interpreted and used appropriately”.
I did find that in Germany children begin formal schooling at about the same time they do in the U.S. –age 5 or 6. According to Cassidy (2008), for the first 2 years children’s academic performance is not assessed. For the first two school years, they are not given marks for their academic performance. Beginning at age 7 however, there is continuous assessment. When children leave primary school at 10 or 11, they are provided with a recommendation, based on these assessments, which are used to determine what type of secondary school they should attend.
In my own recent work experience, child assessments, screenings, standardized tests as well as progress monitoring tools are used on a regular basis. The information from these assessments was very helpful for informing classroom practices. For instance, in the Early Reading First program, professional development was driven by child assessment data. We have also found that parents are very interested in getting assessment data.
References
Benson, E. (2003, February). Intelligent intelligence testing. Monitor 34(2), 48. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/intelligent.aspx
Cassidy, S. (2008, February 8). Our children tested to destruction. The Independent. Retrieved from
Stassen Berger, K. (2009). The developing person through childhood. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Snow, C. & Hemel, S. (Ed). (2008). Early childhood assessment: Why, what, and how?. Report of the National Research Council of the National Academies. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/national_academy/reports/early_child_assess/early_child_assess.pdf
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