Testing For Intelligence

Testing For Intelligence

I have to admit that I am partial to the approach that the ASCD, the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development,  uses called The Whole Child. According to their website, ASCD is the global leader in developing and delivering innovative programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner (http://www.ascd.org/). This assessment tool, The Whole Child approach, which ensures that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged, sets the standard for comprehensive, sustainable school improvement and provides for long-term student success (ASCD, 2012). I recently learned about this approach during a class in my post-graduate work. The Whole Child approach is, in my opinion, the complete opposite of the standardized testing that takes place now in most schools. In order to test for intelligence, I highly agree that the child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development should be included in the assessment. Using standardized tests to pigeon-hole children has been detrimental to children for years now. No two children are alike. No two children come from the same family background or socio-economical background. No two children are raised with the exact same values, morals and ethics. Furthermore, most of the time, teachers are instructed to "teach to the test" because their job depends on it. I can remember taking tests as a child in elementary school. However, never did my parents receive a notice that said our school may be taken over by the district and shut down because our test scores were so low. How does this help the children of this school? What if it just happens at the next school? I'm highly convinced that The Whole Child approach used by ASCD is more beneficial to the child, parents and teachers of any school.

Oddly enough, the ASCD has affiliates around the world. Places such as Canada, the Caribbean and even Japan. I was curious to see if this platform would show up in a brief search on the Internet. Sadly it did not. However, I did find that Japan does in fact have assessment tools not unlike the U.S. Conversely, I was surprised to find that children do not take these tests in Kindergarten or Elementary school. Also, curriculum for each school is based nationally by the Japanese Ministry of Education, unlike the U.S. in that we allow each state to decide what curriculum should be taught in our schools.

Reference

Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org