I believe that children should be measured in all areas of development, i.e. social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. There should be artifacts gathered as evidence that demonstrate the growth or lack of growth in all those areas. Children should not be subjected to standardized tests as the only measurement of what they know. It is important to offer a variety of ways for children to demonstrate their knowledge or skill in a particular area. There are so many factors that affect the performance of an individual on written examinations that it should not be the only reliable assessment.
In Ghana, West Africa children are given written exams to demonstrate subject content knowledge. They are given these tests only three times during their academic career. The last exam that students take during secondary school (what we call high school) determines whether they can attend a university or a trade school. Although these exams attempt to measure that a child has acquired the understanding of the subject matter they have studied throughout their years in school, there is not a system to measure yearly growth or development other than subject content.
On the website www.modernghana.com writer John Ashie wrote:
“In most developed countries various forms of assessment is used during the school year. Diagnostic assessment is used to identify more precisely a student's need. Screening assessment before instruction begins to help teachers determine which students will need more support. Monitoring assessment is used to see if a child's instruction is on the right track and finally, the outcome based assessment or standard based assessment. Standard based assessment is what we lack in Ghana. Even though we have a curriculum and a guided syllabus there is no set up standardized test at each grade level.”
In contrast, some teachers in the U.S. complain of the formal, standardized testing. They don’t like funding being tied to the results or there may be too many tests given during the school year. It is important for teachers to provide the balance; gather student work, document informal and formal observations, and anecdotal records to create student portfolios that demonstrate student development and growth.
