Reflection...

Quote:

"Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child." Mary MacCracken
 

I used this quote in another class but it is so powerful. I think that as their cognitive skills sharpen, they are like little scientists. I am amazed at how perceptive my 8 year old is. He listens and observes people and often questions their honesty and/or intention. Even my baby is able to spot people who may not really be into babies and just play with him because he's there (grandmother). I notice that he is not very receptive to this kind of person and is reluctant to smile and play as he does with us when he/she is around.

Assessment at Home and Abroad...

Assessment is really a tricky subject with me. I am at odds as far as to how much and what kinds should be used with kids. I was and still am the person who didn't have to study for a test and if I did, it threw me off. I have almost never done poorly on a test and am fortunate to be this way. But what I see as a parent is that three of four of my children almost always bomb on tests. I don't like when my children score really low on a reading exam and are looked at as unsuccessful when they can read to someone and show that they read two to three years above their reading level. Even in my job I see really bright students who clam up during a test and bomb it. Or really smart kids who play around on tests and end up in lower level classes because they didn't give their full effort. I would rather see formative and summative assessments done during class in non-threatening manners or unsuspecting manners to gauge what students have learned. The state assessments are a joke to me and do not benefit the students. The teachers are frustrated because they are ordered to teach to the tests and miss important areas of learning due to this. I know that much of it is tied into money and how much schools receive for better scores. That still does nothing for students in the long haul. They look at the tests as useless and often mark anything due to their frustration of having to sit and take them for 1-2 weeks.

Interstate differences within a homogeneous culture, and a willingness to innovate

and think independently, have led to the development and implementation of

responsive assessment practices that reflect student performance across many dimensions

and in a positive manner. A range of assessment practices that are believed

to enhance student educational development and pathways are firmly in place in

Australia. The rhetoric, of course, as in all education, still exceeds the practice. The

quality of assessment practice is uneven, most notably in the compulsory years of

schooling where collaborative moderation and professional development to explore

common understandings of standards and expectations are still developing. Quality

still tends to be related to teacher experience (both too limited and too entrenched),

familiarity with assessment issues, and resources. The new frameworks, with clearly

specified outcomes and guidance for appropriate assessment practices, should guide

teachers in constructive ways.
In Australia many components are taken into consideration when giving assessments. The article I read mentioned money as well so I guess that is probably something that is consistent wherever you go.


Assessment in Education, Vol. 11, No. 1, March 2004
http://wpmu.innovation.cfl.mq.edu.au/summer/files/2010/05/assessment_australianschools.pdf