I do not believe that we should test children for intelligence. I think that rather than measuring one part of their development we should take a whole child approach in order to track their developmental needs and progress in all domains. As an early childhood educator and childcare center administrator I have made the choice to take the portfolio approach with the children that we serve.
At my center we do the DIAL-4 assessment with children as they turn 3 years old. We use this assessment ONLY as a screening tool to determine if further assessment is needed due to developmental concerns. This tool is not meant to be a pre/post assessment as some early childhood educators are wrongly advocating. It is merely a snapshot in time to help determine if the child needs further evaluation.
Our portfolio collection contains many items. We take regular anecdotal records on each child and plan our learning activities based on their interests and developmental levels. We also include works sample of their writing, art, and other creative activities. We take photos of them as then interact socially with their peers and as they work on projects in centers or within small groups. We also collect answers from a small interest survey with them 3 times during the year and make tape recordings of their language activities and interactions with other. It is delightful to watch the progress that each child makes during the year and have the ability to share the information with their parents. Assessing a child in this manner allows us to create a classroom full of meaningful learning and fun for every child.
I chose to research Finland's approach to assessment because I have a friend who recently moved to Finland as part of a 5-year teaching program. I am most impressed with their approach to assessment and to education in general. Please check out the link below. You will not be disappointed!
http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2-11-12?op=1#ixzz2E7RcfvyM
Hi Monette,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great way of seeing where a child is as well as their strenghts and weakness. I have enjoyed reading your response and love the idea of you guys using tape recorders to record their language. I am interested in how you guys do this. Do you ask children open ened questions or do you guys have them to repeat certain letters or words? Great website, I didn't know that Findland's educatio system worked this way.
Great Post!! I think that Dial 4 Assessment is a great!! You are able to see how the child is developing so you all can better serve the child. AWESOME!!! I also agree that with not testing students for intelligence. Without the whole functioning together there is no way to be successful.
ReplyDeleteHi Monette,
ReplyDeleteI agree that at such a young age, toddlers should only be given assessments to aid in determining if there are learning/developmental concerns. I think at such a young age it seems too early to truly determine if skills are being "mastered", or at least it shouldn't be used as "concrete" evidence to determine a child's level of intelligence; especially since children may start out one way and excel as their brain matures.
A. Holmes
I totally agree with your post. I do believe in assessing children at an early age to see if they extra assistance. Many parents however, are against this because of labeling. Some parents also push their children to learn at a more rapid rate and want early childhood educators to test them only for intelligence but only because their has been so much emphasis put on testing as children grow older. It is very hard for me as a teacher when parents do not want their children to receive the extra help they need because of their worries of their child being labeled with a disability.
ReplyDelete