What is the most effective way to measure
children’s minds and abilities?
Many professionals across interdisciplinary profession recognize that understanding the whole child requires a wider perspective especially in the area of multiple intelligences which includes emotional intelligence.
Early childhood professionals can learn from different approaches to measuring the mind of children.
Assessment can be defined as a systematic process of gathering a range of information relating to a child, to help identify their strengths and needs, in order to decide on appropriate further action. Assessment can provide a baseline of information against which a child's development can be measured.
A general guideline for assessment should be structured as below:
Preparation
Gather a range of information
Analyze the information
Identify strengths and needs
Plan further action
Often times, the whole child is not considered in these standardized tests/evaluations performed in the school age education realm. I have a 5th grader who has been through North Carolina's "End of Grade Testing" or EOG's. These were created to hold teachers and school accountable for material learned throughout the year, as a parent, I saw them as culturally bias and they do no consider the holistic child and his/her development. It did not show my child's creative mind, his outstanding social skills or his strengths as a leader in his community, it did however, show his struggle in the mathematics area.
In other countries, such as in China education looks very different from our own.
Since the end of 1976, the education system in China has been geared toward economic modernization. In 1985, the national government took responsibility for basic education to local governments through the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party's "Decision on the Reform of the Educational Structure and supported this with substantial funding. The main focus was on science and technology, not the holistic child within the education system. Primary education in China is monitored, but not completely successful with a 90% rate of young children in formal primary, government run school.
The Law on Nine-Year Compulsory Education (中华人民共和国义务教育法), which took effect on July 1, 1986, established requirements and deadlines for attaining universal education tailored to local conditions and guaranteed school-age children the right to receive at least nine years of education (five year primary education and four years secondary education).
China's basic education involves preschool, nine-year compulsory education, standard senior high school education, and special education for disabled children.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8fHSUiDohFIJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China+assessing+school+age+children+in+china&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com
Compulsory Education/ Primary School: Assessment term-end tests, year-end tests and primary school graduation examination are devised to examine pupils’ qualified levels.
4 years in general /5 years in some special universities
Compulsory Education/ Junior High School: Assessment term-end tests, year-end tests and junior high school graduation examination are devised to examine junior high school graduates’ qualified levels.
Scientific assessment for examinations of graduating and entering are organized, and the assessment system of test question are set up progressively.
3 years in general/ 2 years in some special universities
Secondary Education/ Senior High School: Assessment term-end tests, year-end tests and senior high school graduation examination are devised to examine senior high school graduates’ qualified levels.
3 years
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1126210664195/1636971-1126210694253/China_Skills_Assessment.pdf
