Computer Tests in Kindergarten?

 "Americans who truly want kindergartners to do well in the future need to back off with the testing pressure and let children learn naturally, introduced to formal schooling with well-qualified teachers to work at that grade level and who understand how they learn."

Early Childhood Educators across the country know that sitting a young child in front of a computer to assess their knowledge is not an accurate assessment of the child. Children need many skills to function in front of a computer including: hand eye coordination, reading stamina, understanding multi-step directions, knowledge of choice, an attention span that is exceptional and many other skills that are likely not the skills being assessed on the test itself. 

Any Early Childhood Educator will be able to express the power of observation. Allowing young children to engage in their environment and show what they know is exactly how "testing" should be for young children. An environment that is intentionally set up with developmentally appropriate activities in which a child can freely engage in to explore and learn the required standards from the state in which they live in is best practice. Why aren't educators able to do this?

What happens when best practice is faced with high stakes testing which are tied to funding? You know the answer, high stakes testing wins. When high stakes testing wins, the educators knowledge of best practice is tossed out the window leaving them feeling frustrated and unheard. If the adults teaching young children are feeling the stress of high stakes testing because they know it is not developmentally appropriate for their students, imagine how the child feels!

I recently came across this article Kindergarten Online Data? Teacher Observation is Safer and Better!  This article states the following regarding testing vs observation:

This is some of the information that is important to observe.

• How do children relate to other children?
• Do they have good gross and fine motor coordination?
• Do they like picture books and listening to stories?
• Are they able to remember simple tasks they’re asked to do?
• How do they think about playing with toys?

How does such testing hurt kindergartners?

• It isn’t developmentally sound.
• It places undue pressure on children.
• It wastes their time.
• It displaces a professional teacher’s expertise.
• It unfairly and inaccurately tracks children online.
• It wastes money.

Young children are skilled learners. They are born with natural curiosity for exploring the environment around them, they act like sponges as they take in new information. One way we can crush a child's natural instinct to learn is by forcing standardized testing. We know that this not an accurate representation of what a child actually knows. Standardized testing in young children increases anxiety, wastes valuable time that could be better spend engaging in the world and increases stress and frustration for the educators that know it is not developmentally appropriate for a five or six year old child. 

The question is, what can we do about it? When faced with knowing what is right for students and being forced to preform a useless task the educators hands are tied. It is a requirement that they students are exposed to these tests that really test nothing. One way that educators can support parents and children when high stakes testing is completed is by sharing the other piece of the pie. Educators can share the day to day tasks, observational data, individual areas of growth along with the state testing data. When these two items are presented together it can give a more solid representation of where the child actually is. This will help parents see that although your child might not preform on a computer test they are able to show what they know in real life situations that occur on a daily basis in the classroom. Is this time consuming? Of course it is, all observational data in early childhood classrooms take time. However, they also provide real life data that is not sterile in a multiple choice question on a computer test. In life, which is more valuable? A child that can demonstrate their knowledge in real life situations or a child that is a great test taker on a computer? That is for you to decide. 

Rocks in Your Shoes

 Rocks in Your Shoes

It is easy to get caught up in the mess of life and all of the curve balls thrown into the mix. I often describe challenging times in my life to feel as if I am swimming upstream or like a fish out of water. 

Have you ever been there? 

Life's burdens seem like too much to handle.

The efforts made begin feeling pointless. 

Recently I listened to the song "Rocks in Your Shoes" by Emily West. After listening, I reflected upon the current rocks in my shoes. The heaviest rock that I feel within my shoes currently is the stress levels of the people around me. It seems as if everywhere I turn someone is talking about a highly stressful situation in their life, both personally and professionally.  

I have been known to wear others stress on my shoulders. Hearing the pain in their voice, seeing the stress visibly and the tendency to be a natural helper (or fixer) are a few things that lead me into owning other peoples stress. This became very exhausting. I realized I was loosing sleep, feeling run down and at times sad. Not sad in the way of depression, just sad to recognize the stress levels in others and know that I cannot take it away. 

That was the turning point for me. The moment I realized that I cannot take away others stress was the moment of freedom. These heavy rocks in my shoes (others stress) continue to surround me. They will  not go away. However, I needed to recognize that I cannot control how others manage stressful situations or remove stress from their lives. I can control how I react to their stress. I can also control how I listen to what they are sharing. 

Listening to others does not mean that I can take their stress away. It also does not need to consume my life to the point of fatigue. One way that I do this is by writing myself a note about the situations shared with me that are weighing me down. I do this by writing on a post it note or adding a quick note to an app in my phone.

If I begin to worry about someone or something, which typically happens at night, I will review my list and begin to pray. Praying has turned worrying into something productive. This has allowed me to recognize that I cannot remove the 'Rocks in My Shoes.' However, I can live with them. Understanding what is within my control and what is out of my control has had a positive impact on the stress I encounter within my day. 

The end result, I am not carrying the weight of others situations on me in an unhealthy way. I have recognized that people trust me enough to share stressful situations. I do not have to own them. Instead, I can do something productive with the rock in my shoes. Praying about the situations has more purpose, is less stressful and turns my stress/worry into a place of peace. In the past, I would wake up around 2 am and replay the situations that are eating me alive. Now, I wake up and pray about the notes I made. I bring those burdens to God and allow His work to be done. By doing this, I am placing all of my trust in His plan. This decreases my worry and increases my mental health. 

Since implementing this strategy, I feel less weighed down, I sleep better and I can enjoy other things life has to offer by being in the moment. 

I notice by simply saying things like: "That seems stressful." or  "I see how it is impacting you. Please take care of yourself, you are worth it." or  "I will pray for you." it takes away the natural instinct of wanting to fix the situation or offer solutions.

We all have rocks in our shoes. They come and  they go. Some are heavier than others. Some stay for long periods of time and others disappear quickly. The impact on our lives also vary. Knowing that we cannot remove rocks from our lives completely and that some days it will feel like we are swimming upstream can help us refocus. When we refocus it allows us to plan our reaction to the curve balls that come our way.