When it comes to testing children I am very overwhelmed. I can see the uses for many different areas for children. I believe that there should be an assessment so that children can have the help they need to be successful in school and in life. Testing for cognitive, physical, and language development are essential for getting children the services they need or to determine if there is a need for services. Without these tests, children can fall behind in their development. But sometimes these tests could be misleading towards the children they are designed to help. I think that more emphasis should be placed on the cultural differences in children so that there are more unbiased assessments available. I believe that children should be assessed so that we can determine those who need extra help, but I don't believe children should be labeled because of those assessments. Children need to feel that they are apart of a classroom community not singled out from it. There is a strong need to determine what children need extra help and to determine what kind of help they need. With this in mind, assessments should be based more on cognitive, physical and language development. I am not sure how we can assess the emotional needs of children without labeling them and putting up red flags for children that may not even need them.
Looking at assessment for children in Africa was interesting. There is a test called the MDAT (Malawi Development Assessment Tool) that is being designed to assess children 0-6 ("Refining the milestones:," 2010). This test is being designed with the cultural sensitivity to children in Africa. It would be unfair to use Western testing on these children because they have very different values in their cultural. This assessment is testing for what is normal for African children ages 0-6. They have to consider the skill level of each child to determine what is normal for African children. Unfortunately, many African school aged children are not in school so it is hard to have them assessed. But the MDAT is working to develop a tool to use in Early Education to help determine what is normal in development for these children. I think that this is a good way for tests to be adapted for children here in the US. With so many different cultures here in the US it is difficult to pinpoint what is normal for today's children.
Reference:
Refining the milestones: assessing child development in africa. (2010, August 11). Retrieved from http://wellcometrust.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/refining-the-milestones-assessing-child-development-in-africa/
