Testing for Intelligence?

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

Chan, Dawn (2013). The whole child movement: A journey between two nations. The Whole Child Blog.  Retrieved from: http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/the-whole-child-movement-a-journey-between-two-nations

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