Assessment in Early Literacy:
Although I have had experience with
kindergarten through fifth grade standards, my favorite standards and by far
the ones I’ve had the most experience are the early childhood standards. It’s
hard to believe there are standards for a three month old but there are and in
the reading the section the standards are quite simple but set up an early
reader well. For example one of my favorite was if the child held and looked at
a book fro more than thirty seconds, and also separate standards was if they
recognized that they were holding the book up right correctly. I love these
standards for how simple they are and for how easy it is to set children up to
reach these standards. The other thing about these standards is that they are
natural and learned through observation of adults and natural curiosity and
exposure of literacy.
One thing I
learned from this chapter and I forgot about but relates to being a good
teacher is that these assessments are not only for the teacher but the student
and parent, which puts even more emphasis on have a variety of assessments and
having a portfolio of progress that the student has made throughout the year. I
liked the list of types of assessments a teacher can do and it is important to
keep in mind that not just one of these assessments can tell a teacher
everything he or she needs to know about a student and its going to take a repetition
of these assessments and variety of them to get a whole picture of the student
and the progress they have made as well as their strengths and weaknesses. The
list included, anecdotal observation forms, daily performance samples, audio
and video recordings, teacher made pencil and paper tests, student evaluation
forms, surveys and interviews, conferences, and checklists.
Another
interesting point brought up in this chapter is standardized tests. It brought
up good questions that as a teacher are relevant to consider and ask yourself
on behalf of your students, like does the test evaluate what it says it tests
for and does it match the goals the teacher has for his or her students? As
well as are scores accurate and dependable? I think these are good questions
but as a new teacher and from what I’ve heard from other teachers as well as on
the news in recent years, do teachers have much bearing or can they do
something if these tests aren’t beneficial or do not answer “yes” to the
questions above? There was a small report on the john Oliver show where he
talked about the debate and stress of standardized testing this past year and
told a few stories that were shocking and disappointing, not completely sure
how true, but one thing I can not deny in the debate over standardized testing
is the stress and anxiety it causes in our students.
I do agree that the standards for early childhood are a great starting point for children. They give a basis of what is expected when entering grade school. They provide a great starting point for students to learn the very basics of reading. There is not too much expected and students can achieve these tasks quite easily. It sets up a good self esteem as students figure out the basics of how to read. Students feel good about themselves and are excited to learn to read. This provides more drive to be successful and work hard. I have always thought that assessment can be a good thing when done effectively. It is helpful for teachers to know where students stand. It is helpful in discussing with parents on what actions need to be taken. Teachers can make assessment fun and inviting for students. I have found the best way of assessment for me is through the use of small games and activities. One that was successfully when working with a struggling reader was sight word bingo. It was a fun way to practice recognizing those words and repeating them back. I think standardized tests can be beneficial when not shoved down teachers and students throats. There is too much pressure. It has become too much of a dependent on school success that teachers have lost creativity and students have lost drive. I think if we could reevaluate and lessen the load, teachers and students could benefit.
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