"The world needs garbage men, too" This is what I told my son when he didn't want to go to school. He took it as nasty critical sarcasm, but I meant that I would love him no matter what he did. If school made him so unhappy, maybe he should not go. Not everyone can be rocket scientists, or wants to be. I wanted him to be happy. Why did he hate school so much? He did well in all his subjects. Maybe he found it difficult and he was tired of the struggle. Maybe he was bored because it was too easy. Should he have been assessed? What kind of message would that have sent him?
My friend Jaclyn has been assessed over and over to judge her abilities, her growth, and her difficulties. At the age of 20, she knows she is not like most people, and sometimes refuses to try something because she believes what assessment tests tell her she can and can't do. But because of her strong family and friend support, she will eventually try and succeed at some tasks, proving the assessments wrong. Yet without these assessments, she may have struggled and failed in mainstream schooling. Instead she received high quality services that helped her in the areas she needed help most.
What is the ultimate goal of assessments? How accurate or misleading can they be? A child who is self-conscious will score differently than a self-assured child, and evaluations might be different done by different people. There is no way to test concretely, but that doesn't render assessments useless. They can be a valuable guide try to figure out what can't be explained by the children themselves, as well as a ruler to measure improvements.
Assessment of children's abilities, disabilities, strengths and weaknesses must be done carefully. Early childhood is such a vulnerable time for building self-esteem, and the way children receive and process comments made and events that take place in their various systems is very individualistic.
Concerns voiced to parents, tests given and assessment meetings that take place send a message to a child that they have something wrong with them. They could either try to prove it wrong or succumb to the idea that they can do less because they are not as good as anyone else.
Ability assessments are necessary to determine what help, if any, is needed for a person to feel happy and comfortable in their world. Life is granted to us by God, not to have riches or be powerful, but to love and be loved. Part of this is pride in oneself; if you can provide for yourself and not be dependent on others except for companionship, you will be happy and comfortable.
In Mpumalanga, an area in South Africa, children are only assessed if they have completed a grade twice, or are repeatedly in trouble with the law. Even in these instances, no help is offered until the child reaches 13 years old. (
http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/education/default.asp?nav=specialeducation They are then taught a trade such as building, hairdressing, office work, agriculture, or domestic service.
This is a benefit of living in a developed area. In the instance of a remote zone with the address of area "B", my Peace Corps acquaintance tells me of the experience within her village and host family. Children are only assessed at the end of each year by an exam which will let them progress to the next grade or be held back. They can repeat grades an indefinite number of times, until they eventually pass or just quit school. There is no known ADD/ADHD, autism, or evaluated learning disabilities.
