Assessments

When looking at the whole child, we want to help children become not only good learners but also good people.  Schooling isn’t seen as being about just academics, nor is intellectual growth limited to verbal and mathematical proficiencies. I believe children should not only be assessed through academic testing, but through observation, anecdotal records, and the children ability to solve real world problems.  I think children should be assessed academically in order to work with the student based on their specific needs.  However, I don’t believe that academic testing should dictate the child’s future.  There is so much more to a child than his or her ability to do well on a test.  There should be more of an emphasis on collaborative problem-solving and less focus on behaviors than on underlying motives, values, and reasons. Schools should not only be responsible for setting the groundwork for life long academic success, but for creating well adjusted, socially positive citizens.