Discuss the major factors to consider in assessment of young children. Include consideration of both appropriate and inappropriate practices

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Answers will vary but should include an overview of the following points: Readiness assessment should function as a means of finding out where to begin instruction, not as a gatekeeper for deciding who is let in and who is kept out of classrooms. Besides reforming readiness assessment, the whole area of assessment of young children is in need of change. Paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice, group-administered, standardized achievement tests should not be used with young children. They increase stress level, use up valuable instructional time with preparation, and are too abstract to provide reliable or valid measures of young children’s academic achievement. In addition, they overlook areas such as social development, motor development, problem solving, and thinking. Authentic evaluation procedures that provide information from naturally occurring learning experiences are appropriate. The standards movement has moved schools to testing overload. Even Head Start had a required inappropriate assessment test which was highly criticized and eventually suspended. Assessments should be planned with a goal in mind. Reasons may be to promote children’s learning and development? to identify children for health and special learning services? to monitor trends and evaluate programs and services? and/or to assess academic achievement and hold individual students, teachers, and schools accountable. Examples of authentic evaluation may be given.