The Whole Child

How Do We Measure Intelligence?

 

I never cared too much about IQ tests and standardized tests as a child and now as a teacher because I don't believe those tests give us the whole picture of the child.  If we were to base a child's intelligence purely on tests, teachers might as well pack up their bags and go home.  What would be the purpose of teaching if we relied solely on test scores?  The truth is that we can't and hopefully don't.  But the sad truth is that teachers feel pressured by their state standards to "teach to the test" for fear that if their class does poorly, it will be a reflection on their teaching.  When in fact, if a teacher is looking at the whole child and how they learn, there won't be a reason to "teach to the test."  Teachers have fair reason to feel the way they do because often times people that are not in education are creating the standards and creating them in a way that's easy to measure.  But what happens to that child that doesn't test well?  Or even the child who does test well but can't apply what they know?

 

I consider myself fortunate to be teaching in the field of early childhood education because I have various opportunities to observe children's learning and learning processes.  I also have opportunities to notice each child's learning style and tailor the instruction to their learning.  All teachers have these opportunities but often don't take advantage of them for fear that they are deviating from textbooks and material that they should be using.  It's time to realize all children do not grow and learn at the same rate and that we have to use assessments that will measure each child's growth and learning abilities and use the assessment data to help us as educators move each child forward.  Is it difficult? Yes.  Is it time consuming? Yes.  Is it worth it?  Yes because then each child is being taught to their level and not given a "cookie cutter" curriculum that is supposed to "fix" everyone.

I came across an article at the American Psychological Association website while looking for information about IQ testing.  The article helps to put IQ testing into perspective and what the actual use of it was intended for and that the importance of IQ testing is being broadened to include other forms of assessment.  The article goes on to say that IQ tests are used in a variety of venues such as at workplaces, military and schools.  The article also mentions the use of other intelligence assessments such as emotional intelligence and the seven intelligences but reminds the reader that not all assessments are full proof and must be administered correctly by someone who is properly trained in order for the assesments to be valid (Benson, 2003).

"Intelligence tests help psychologists make recommendations about the kind of teaching that will benefit a child most, according to Ron Palomares, PhD, assistant executive director in the APA Practice Directorate's Office of Policy and Advocacy in the Schools. Psychologists are taught to assess patterns of performance on intelligence tests and to obtain clinical observations of the child during the testing session. That, he says, removes the focus from a single IQ score and allows for an assessment of the child as a whole, which can then be used to develop individualized teaching strategies" (Benson, 2003).  I quoted this part of the article because of the resonance of taking the child into consideration as a whole and using the IQ scores as one measurement that will assist in developing individulized teaching straegies.

The article ends with this statement which I find reassuring when talking about the history and use of IQ and/or standardized testing. "We will always need some way of making intelligent decisions about people," says Halpern. We're not all the same; we have different skills and abilities. What's wrong is thinking of intelligence as a fixed, innate ability, instead of something that develops in a context" (Benson, 2003). 

While researching assessment practices in other countries, I came across an article about assessment practices in China.  What I found interesting is that children do not start their formal education until after the age of 6 and sometimes 7 years old depending on the area in China (Zhang, 2004). Standardized testing is used primarily empasized on Chinese and math but children are also assessed with term-end tests for other subjects to determine their learning abilities and levels.  In order for children to move on to junior high and high school, they have to pass a graduation exam from elementary school and junior high (Zhang, 2004).  Children attend elemenatary school for 6 years, junior high for 3 years and high school for 3 years (Zhang, 2004).

 

I also ran across an article that discusses the issue of comparing our test scores with those of children of the same age in other countries.  A great deal of research is finding that by comparing our children's performance to those of children in other countries is futile for many reasons.  One reason being that no two assessments are alike in any two countries so it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges (Kirkland, n.d.).  Also, the age at which students are starting their formal education is different in other countries and the age they are exiting their elementary/high school education is different.  In some countries, some children are graduating high school by the time they are 15 (Kirkland, n.d.).  The article concludes by saying, "Indeed, our nation (United States) is at risk. And it is not because our students or students in other countries are failing. Our nation is at risk because we are failing the greatest test of all: to write a system of education in which no one fails" (Kirkland, n.d.). 

 

Even as assessments and tests are being evaluated in our own country and other countries, there seems to be a growing realization that we need to work on educating the whole child and adapting our educational system in order to do just that.

References

Benson, E.  (2003).  Intelligent intelligence testing:Psychologists are broadening the concept of intelligence and how to test it.  Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/intelligent.aspx

 

Kirkland, D. (n.d.). US Perspectives on Student Assessment in Other Countries:  Report Issued by the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence.  Retrieved from http://ott.educ.msu.edu/excellence/web/publications/perspectives_on_student_assessment.pdf
 

Zhang, J. (2004). China’s Skill Assessment System. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1126210664195/1636971-1126210694253/China_Skills_Assessment.pdf