"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure."
~Emma Goldman, author
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
The Value of Assessment
I am a proponent of viewing children holistically and realizing that they are complicated little human machines and when one thing is amiss it is wise to take a look at the whole child, including physical, emotional and mental functioning. Unfortunately, I believe that this is done far less than it should be done.
I think assessment is important for potential learning disabilities such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Without assessment, children, under the current system, are not able to get the additional help that they need such as an individual education plan. It is important for some children to have additional accommodations, such as taking a test in a resource room, where there are no distractions. Other accommodations might be seating a child toward the front of the class or providing additional sensory stimulation, such as swinging on a swing set during the school day. I have a family member who went through assessment for four years before the professionals got to the bottom of the learning issues this child has. This young student wouldn’t have been doing nearly as well in school as they are doing without all the assessment tools that were used and as a result, an individual education plan to implement address the learning issues.
I chose to look at the way Canadian children are assessed for learning disabilities. It seems somewhat similar to the experiences I hear about in theUnited States Canada
My only real concern with assessment is that it tends to label children. That is a double edged sword. Labels are needed to gain the education support that is necessary. However, labels can also erode a child’s self esteem and be a reason why children are teased and shunned by other children. Even with the potential negative impact, I believe the good in having assessment as a tool outweighs the potential harm.
Resource
Langlois, C. (2011). Kids living with learning exceptionalities. Canadian Living. Retrieved from http://www.canadianliving.com/family/kids/kids_living_with_learning_exceptionalities.php
I think assessment is important for potential learning disabilities such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Without assessment, children, under the current system, are not able to get the additional help that they need such as an individual education plan. It is important for some children to have additional accommodations, such as taking a test in a resource room, where there are no distractions. Other accommodations might be seating a child toward the front of the class or providing additional sensory stimulation, such as swinging on a swing set during the school day. I have a family member who went through assessment for four years before the professionals got to the bottom of the learning issues this child has. This young student wouldn’t have been doing nearly as well in school as they are doing without all the assessment tools that were used and as a result, an individual education plan to implement address the learning issues.
I chose to look at the way Canadian children are assessed for learning disabilities. It seems somewhat similar to the experiences I hear about in the
My only real concern with assessment is that it tends to label children. That is a double edged sword. Labels are needed to gain the education support that is necessary. However, labels can also erode a child’s self esteem and be a reason why children are teased and shunned by other children. Even with the potential negative impact, I believe the good in having assessment as a tool outweighs the potential harm.
Resource
Langlois, C. (2011). Kids living with learning exceptionalities. Canadian Living. Retrieved from http://www.canadianliving.com/family/kids/kids_living_with_learning_exceptionalities.php
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