Assessing
school-age children is very challenging because children need to be in an
environment where they feel at ease in order to be assessed accurately. I believe that children should be assessed at
home and at school; that’s why there should be running records in the two
different environments. These records should
include notes on physical, cognitive and psychosocial development. Observers can assess language use and
communication, motor skills, social and emotional behavior. Another useful behavior to assess is the
child's ability to adapt to a situation and solve a problem by himself.
In
Finland, a child's academic and social skills are assessed before being
enrolled in a school. Health tests are
also conducted to measure the maturity of a child, particularly at age seven
when most children enter primary school.
This test also checks if a child has any learning difficulties. Children are assessed at school by teachers, a
psychologist, a nurse and a social worker; this team work provides the support
the students need.
References
Marcy Guddemi, Ph.D. Betsy J. Case, Ph. D. ,
Assessing young children, Assessment Report, Pearson, 2004. Retrieved
from http://www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/FD21F054-A5AD-42AE-9A00-43878827FD76/0/AssessingYoungChildren_Final.pdf
Eric
Clearinghouse, Assessments for Young Children, Assessment and Evaluation,
LD Online, 1999. Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/6040/
Innovative assessment tools and methods –
Finland, European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education,
2009. Retrieved from http://www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/assessment-in-inclusive-settings/assessment-database-of-key-topics/finland/innovative-assessment-tools-and-methods
It seems that the ways in which assessment in Finland takes place is very beneficial to the child. The fact that tests are done before the children attend primary school is a great idea because if a children has a disability or their skills differ greatly from other children their age, they will be able to receive the appropriate help. I have seen too many instances here in the U.S. where children do not receive the necessary learning help because their parents have the mindset that THEIR child does NOT have a disability. We could benefit from these required assessments.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that children must feel comfortable before they can perform at their top level. I feel this true of almost everyone, young or old, but children truly need reassurance they are safe and protected. I feel testing is necessary when a child may have learning disabilites. Children with learning disabilities should be able to get the developmental appropriate materials they need to succeed whether they are placed in an inclusive classroom or self-contained, they need to be able to thrive in the environment.
ReplyDeleteJoyce Galloway
Thank you for sharing the information you found out about Finland. I think it is interesting to learn about the different ways that children are assessed in other countries. It is interesting that they have a whole team assess the children when they enter school. It is kind of similar here but different in some ways because they see a Dr. instead of being assessed by the nurses at school.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned that it is important for young children to be familiar and comfortable with their environment during assessment, I thought of a particular instance reported by Valerie Strauss, a Washington Post columnist. She cited an instance in which a 4 year old girl scored ridiculously low on a standardized test (like, on the level of a monkey!) simply because she didn't want to answer questions that day. You can check out the whole article at http://www.takepart.com/article/2011/07/27/standardized-testing-preschoolers-good-idea
ReplyDeleteCheers!