Assessing Children

As teachers we know the importance of assessing our children. Assessment has to drive our instruction. If we don't know where our students are, how can we know where to take them? However the controversy emerges in how to best get a clear picture what our students know. I happen to be quite positive about how our district assesses students.

Students should be assessed often and throughout the course of the year. Students should also be assessed using various forms of assessment. All children don't learn the same way, it would make sense not to have one test determine if they have learned the material or not. Assessments should include both informal and formal testing to gain a better understanding if it was a "bad" day or a true non understanding of material.

Depending on what you are looking for, we have to take a realistic approach to testing. If you are giving a written test on science and a student struggles with reading, he or she should be read the test. I knew a student who had a great fear of speaking in front of others. Her teacher allowed her to tape record any speeches, book reports, or project presentations at home. This allowed her to be comfortable enough to speak without losing out on on a grade because of anxiety. If students are not native English speakers, working with an ELL teacher is highly desirable. The ELL teacher can have effective strategies on assessing the student without also assessing their understanding of the English language. Sometimes as teachers we have to think outside the box in order to get an accurate picture of our students' progress.

We formally and informally test the progress of our students. I happen to enjoy meeting with my students one on one and hearing them read out loud or perform math tasks for me. This allows me to gain an accurate picture of where any deficiencies lie and help me figure out where to best go from there with them.

I chose to look at the education system of Haiti. Many children in Haiti do not attend school regularly. In fact according to the Cultural Orientation Resource Center (CORC) website only about 35% of the country's children receive any kind of formal education and only 8% beyond a primary education. Education in Haiti is much more strict than in the United States. Children are not allowed to speak unless spoken to first and parents are not part of the education system really at all. Children are typically assessed using test and quizzes. Since the education system is far more strict students must work very hard to earn their grades. The CORC website states that it is harder to obtain a B or equivalent in Haiti than in the United States. Due to this, a great deal of emphasis is placed on quizzes and tests. Most Haitians don't understand the idea that what one learns is more important than grades.

(Source: http://www.cal.org/co/haiti/hedu.html)