Testing for Intelligence?
I see
several problems with standardized testing here in the United States. One,
these tests solely focus on what the child has learned. Second, girls are more
likely to score lower than boys regardless of intelligence because of text
anxiety. Lastly, teachers are hyper-focused on their students doing well on
these tests to the point of “force-feeding” the facts instead of letting the
children come to conclusions on their own.
Standardized
tests only focus on what the child has learned and does not look at the whole
child. You can not only focus on academic achievement (cognitive and physical) in
order for them to be successful (Diamond, 2010). You also have to focus on the
emotional and social aspects of a child. Content-based multiple-choice question
tests only assess the memorization of
facts and does not show critical thinking
skills or creative problem-solving (Diamond, 2010).
Although
content-based tests are easier to assess via multiple-choice exams, it does not
take into consideration the child’s emotions. Emotions play a role in test
performance. Girls perform worse on tests than do boys because they are more
anxious (Diamond, 2010).
We have all
heard the phrase “teaching to the test”. If this is, in fact, what is happening
in our school systems, we are failing our children. Lecture-based learning takes away from problem-solving skills,
self-regulation, and hands-on learning (Diamond, 2010). Children learn more when
they feel safe and know it is okay to make mistakes. They also learn more if
they are given a task to solve on their own or in a small group.
There are
some schools that use the whole child approach here in the United States.
Canada is another country that implements the whole child approach and also
uses standardized testing. The difference is the way they use assessments and
testing. The Ministry of Education is similar to a state department of
education. Every publicly funded school conducts a school-climate survey given
to students, parents, and staff every other year to assess how the whole child
approach is working and what changes need to be made. This gives each school
the framework to use the policies the best way they seem fit (Chun, 2013).
Standardized testing in Canada is used differently than in the United States.
Their tests are administered in grades 3, 6, and 9. Grades 3 and 6 are tested
in reading, writing, and math. Grade 9 students are tested in math and Grade 10
students are tested in literacy (Chun, 2013). So not only do they assess how
the school is meeting the social-emotional needs of the children through the
surveys but also how they are doing academically. The major difference is how
this information is used. The testing is not a stand-alone assessment. It is
used with a combination of information to
better help the students.
I think we
can learn a lot from our neighbors to the north. Canada has implemented the
whole child approach across all levels of education, not just in early
childhood. Also, while they do have standardized testing, they do not focus on it
solely as a measurement of success.
References
Diamond, Adele (2010). The evidence
base for improving school outcomes by addressing the whole child and by
addressing skills and attitudes, not just content. Early Education Dev. 2010 Sep 1; 21(5): pp. 780-793. doi:
10.1080/10409289.2010.514522 Retrieved from:
https:..www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026344
