Everyone seems to have an opinion on standardized testing. In early childhood education, many teachers feel that these assessments are not developmentally appropriate to use with young children. Regardless of what your opinion is, “the use of standardized testing is increasing, and new instruments are being developed in response to pressures for accountability for the quality of education and minimum competency standards for students and teachers” (Wortham & Hardin, 2015, p. 106). As leaders, it is important for us to know our own view of standardized testing, to be open to the views of others around the world regarding standardized testing, and to understand the varying ways in which standardized tests are being used in early childhood education.
There are three parts to this discussion, so in order to get the most out of discussion, it is important that you do not jump ahead in completing each of the steps.
Step 1: Examine your current view of standardized testing. Some points to consider are:
• Do you agree or disagree with standardized testing in early childhood education? Why or why not?
• How might standardized testing be beneficial for you in your work with children?
• How might standardized testing hinder your ability to teach?
Step 2: Choose two articles to read from the table below. Please make sure that you have completed Step 1 before you complete this step of this discussion.
Standardized Testing Articles
The Role and Importance of Standardized Testing in the World of Teaching and Training (Links to an external site.)
Leaving Tests Behind (Links to an external site.)
The Good in Standardized Testing (Links to an external site.)
Teachers Say the Most Interesting Things —An Alternative View of Testing (Links to an external site.)
Debate Over Standardized Testing is Focusing on the Wrong Questions (Links to an external site.)
Step 3: Address the following, using Chapters 3 and 4 of your course text, Assessment in Early Childhood Education, and the two articles you read in Step 2 as support for your responses.
• Summarize the two articles you read. Your summary should be approximately three to four sentences for each article.
• Synthesize how the articles you read influenced your view of standardized testing. Make sure to include specific examples that support how your view has or has not changed.
• Examine the benefits and disadvantages of using standardized assessments with young children from a variety of social and cultural backgrounds.
• Analyze the considerations, including meeting the needs of children with IEPs, for selecting and evaluating standardized tests that you will take into account as a leader in early childhood education.
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