If we, in fact, are committed to the whole child we are committed to each aspect of that child. The trick here is that each child is unique and special in their own way. Assessing/ analyzing a child's intelligence based on a standardized test should not and cannot be a valid resource of intelligence information. Why? Because, again each and every child is unique. When assessing a child and taking a holistic approach we should assess each part of the child. We should consider their ability to read, comprehend, compute, and recall facts. However, we should also look at their creative abilities, hidden talents and skills that cannot be assessed on a standardized test. A child can be a struggling math student but a musical genius. Does that mean the student lacks in intelligence, absolutely not! In addition, intelligence can be demonstrated in a variety of ways.
In Africa, a new tool is being tested to assess primary students. This tool will be used to answer the following questions:
- What do children in the Western Cape know and what can they do when they start school?
- How does this vary by gender, language and affluence?
- How do children’s abilities and progress during the first year of primary school compare with similar children in other regions and countries?
- What implications do these analyses have for policies in the Western Cape?
- How much can differences in later international surveys be explained by differences in the early years?
So here the focus is on the progress of the child in comparison to self and others. I think the most important piece is the child's progress is monitored and compared to the previous performance. I think this a true indicator of intelligence--- PROGRESS MADE! That is the key.
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/assessing-and-monitoring-primary-school-children-south-africa
I think there are advantages and disadvantages to all types of assessment, but I think the best assessment is one that allows for children to show ALL of what they know, not just the ability to answer a question correctly.
hello Haleema
ReplyDeleteI agree with you considering assessments there are many pros and cons to how effective or ineffective they are. I don't believe children should not be labeled at all. I also agree with your idea to revamp the testing in a creative manner. That would help with children that don't fit into a typical thinker or learner.
Great read!
I completely agree with you that standardized testing does not take the whole child and his/her abilities into consideration. Not all children are good test takers and some are intelligent in other aspects aside from cognitive. Thank you for sharing how assessments are given in Africa and how assessments monitor the child's progress and compare it to previous years.
ReplyDeleteHello Haleema,
ReplyDeleteFor sure the assessment test is required in some areas to know the children’s ability of intelligence, but it is not covering all areas which makes it unfair. Some children are not doing well at tests, but they are so talented in other areas. So I agree with you, every child is unique and different. Too unique and different to be measure based on the intelligence test.
I could not agree with you more within this blog post that you have made, I believe that you have hit the nail directly on the head! I'm so excited to see that someone else thinks exactly what I have been thinking for the past decade! The fact that there are so many standardized tests out there that are claiming to test the intelligence of a child is completely irrelevant and invalid; simply put, these tests are simply here to label and categorize children into boxes that, to be honest, segregate children within the educational system. When it comes to such tests as the IQ testing system, and the Standardized compliancy tests (such as ACT and SAT), I have always believed and (it seems that you as well believe), that these tests are simply measuring perception of a child. Since it has been proven that these tests are measuring perception, then each child is unique and will have a different perspective. Test such as the IQ test and many standardized testing, therefore, cannot measure anything dealing with Child Learning. Great post!
ReplyDelete