Assessing children through standardized testing is a controversial issue in education particularly in the early childhood field.  Early childhood screenings are thinly veiled as fun games that children participate in with teachers. Some children enjoy participating in assessments, tests, and screenings but most are well aware of their mistakes.  Most of us can keenly remember the dread of taking a test, standardized or otherwise and encountering a question to which you did not know the answer.  This experience usually led to a panicking of sorts that had a negative effect on your remaining performance.  Most likely, the outcome or grade reflected a lower level of knowledge than the actual level of knowledge.  Unfortunately, these tests are the marker for how well a child is doing when they are not an accurate reflection at all.

Fortunately, in the field of early childhood, we have the ability to assess children through observation. Although we have been pushed into administering standardized screenings at the preschool level, we also have the ability to assess and track children's progress through observation and note taking. Elementary grades and above also have and use this method, but standardized testing is still the determining factor behind school success for children, teacher performance, and overall school performance. 

Truthfully, I have often found myself administering the mandatory education screening out of required obligation. I rarely refer to the screening afterwards unless I have significant cause for concern. I am much more interested in my own notes and observations of a child's every day actions and interactions.  This is not to say that the assessments are not accurate, but it is to say that standardized assessments are narrow in their focus. They tend to assess mere rote knowledge but not reasoning, empathy, creativity, and imagination. All of these abilities create a whole, interesting, person that contributes to society in a healthy way.  The last time someone showed me kindness, helped me out a tough situation, or listened to my troubles I did not consider it important that he know his letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.  

All aspects of a child's development should be noted and applied to the view of the whole child including those that can be assessed through standardized screenings.  A child's social and emotional development level may provide answers pertaining to developmental delays in the areas of cognition or language. Is the child struggling to retain information because there is an underlying social and emotional concern? Is the child struggling to retain symbols such as letters or numbers because he can not see well?  So many other factors can play into a child's performance on assessments and in the classroom.

Japan and Child Assessment

Iris Rotberg (2006) writes that "Japan has a highly competitive examination system, but it doesn't hold educators accountable for students' scores on standardized tests" (p. 61). School performances are rated entirely by self-assessment.  Students are typically not even administered standardized test until lower secondary or secondary schools and primarily for the purpose of entrance into post secondary education.  Some parents and politicians still cling to the more conservative ideas of education and testing.  Many of these parents still choose to participate in additional schooling for the purpose of preparing for exams.  Rotberg (2006) cites Watanabe by pointing out that "Japan, like Singapore, is attempting to increase the flexibility of the learning environment to cultivate “Japanese people with ‘rich humanity’ and ‘rich creativity’ by letting individual abilities grow” (p. 62). This shift in thinking has been difficult leaving many parents to grow concerned about their child's entrance into competitive universities.


References

Rotberg, Iris. (2006). Assessment around the world. Educational Leadership. 64. pp. 58-63.
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