Testing for Intelligence~

Do I believe children should be measured or assessed? ~~~Young children are exposed to a variety of test from the moment of birth. The infant is given a test to see how they are within a minute or two after birth. This test will determine if the child stays with mom or will go to the NICU. The infant then begins going to the doctor and again more test; every time their height and weight is taken. This will go on until death. I believe that assessments are important. I believe they show us where we need to be, show progression, regression and finally be able to put in place, if need be, assist the child with what they need to achieve their very best.

As I have stated many times before, I am an Early Head Start Educator, as educators, we assess the child to see if they fall within the “norm” of development. If the test indicate there is a delay the teacher/educator will encourage the parent/caregiver to seek medical advice and receive services for the child.

Assessments are given to “assist” the child. But with every test there is also a degree of error. That is why it is so important to consider multiple sources of information, and only act after there has been a full and complete picture presented. As an educator, the test is given and staffing with supervisors are all put into place before anything is stated to the parents, if a delay is found.

Assessment of school aged children in other parts of the world~                                    I chose to learn more about Poland. The Polish school system is divided into the following stages: Kindergarten (for children ages 3-5/6 years of age)                     Primary School (6 years; for children ages 6/7-11/12)                                Gymnasium- Lower Secondary School ( 3 Years; for children 12/13- 15/16 years of age)                                                                                                                   Secondary School (different types, education 3 or 4 years depending on school type)

Education in public schools is free of charge. Public Kindergartens are opened Monday to Friday and closed on the weekends. Usually children are there about five hours a day. Staying in Kindergarten is mandatory for children above the age of 5.

Kindergarten is a way of preparing the child for school where attendance is important that is why it is mandatory. Enrollment begins in March for school that starts September 1.

Primary school is next; Children learn in an integrated learning environment. There is no clear division into subjects such as Polish, mathematics, science, etc. Most of the subjects are taught by one teacher. The child will learn German or Russian, and English, this is taught by different teachers.

During their primary school education, the children take a nationwide examination in the form of a written test in April, on same day and at the same time in whole Poland. In some schools, students also take the national competence test, taking place at the end. However, this test is not mandatory, but remains voluntary, and parents must agree for their child to participate in it.

The score received on the test also has no impact on whether the child completes primary school, it can be taken into account during admission to the next schooling stage, which is the gymnasium. The test assesses reading, writing, reasoning skills, use of information sources and use of knowledge in practice.

Sitting the examination is mandatory and a precondition for the completion of primary school. If a child is unable to take the examination during this time, they will have to retake it the following year.

After finishing primary school, all children are required to continue their education in Gymnasium. Gymnasiums specializing in foreign languages or sports. The examinations that are given are nationwide written examination consisting of three parts: the humanities, Mathematics and Science and language. Taking the exam is necessary to complete gymnasium, but there is no specified minimum of points required to pass it. Possible support if needed; these are such things as extending time, separate classroom, use of modifiers. After completing this; I feel Poland takes a Big infancies on assessments.

I work with Early Head Start in Vigo County. We are in the state of Indiana, and we complete an assessment called ISTAR-KR (Indiana Standards Tool for Alternate Reporting of Kindergarten Readiness).

This assessment measures skills in children from infancy to kindergarten. The assessment focuses on the areas of English/Language Arts and Math as well as three areas; physical, personal care and social-emotional skills. The data is inputted to the computer three times a year and it goes to the state. This follows the child to Head Start, then on to public school, Kindergarten and then ends at first grade.

I personally think that assessing our children in our program is a great tool. I know many, many times I get asked by parents, “Is my child doing okay.” This assessment will show the parents the progress on the child. I know as a parent, it was hard to not see progress on paper. I feel like if it is presented to the parents in a positive, caring way they will understand and be willing to work with the child to progress more next time.

References:    http://migrant.info.pl/Types_of_schools_in_Poland.html