by Ayanna Black
I recently felt like I was back in school preparing to take my final exam to get into kindergarten. The triplets are now at the age where it’s time to start thinking about preschool and I’m totally stressed about it.
It’s not the anxiety of letting them go but the pressure I was getting for them to perform. Because the triplets were very premature, they go through an early intervention program to ensure that there are no development delays due to the prematurity.
At their one year follow up it was suggested that they receive some of the early intervention services because an evaluator felt they were behind. So my husband and I signed them up. I was so excited about the next evaluation because they’d learned so much and displayed tremendous progression.
However, I was sadly disappointed when I sat down with the evaluator. The evaluator still stated they were way behind due to their response to her. After going on to explain that my children knew all the things she tested them on because we work on it every day, she was still not convinced based on the test she took. After leaving the meeting I was a little stressed.
My mind started to wonder to other kids the triplets age and if they were doing some of the same things or more. After I thought about it more I realized that this test really didn’t mean much. This was the first time the triplets had seen this person and they needed time to warm up to her. I can only imagine the amount of pressure my children were feeling when going through the evaluation.
Are any of these factor taken into account when testing is in progress? Is it really effective to test a child and grade them based on 15 minutes of interaction? There is plenty of prep time put in to test but because there is so much emphasis to perform well on a test, are our children stressed out or intimidated because they feel they have to do well? I couldn’t help but wonder if this system was set up to fail children.
Have you found that your child is very bright and intelligent but a test says differently? Do you think these test accurately display who your child is?
Ayanna is a married mom of busy triplets in Chicago. She’s a freelance parenting/marriage and technology blogger. Ayanna is also the proud owner of ABlackWebDesign.com and MommyMultiple.com
I agree with your skepticism of these assessments. It’s good to know there may be issues to look out for in their development, but I tend to use caution before taking these test results as gospel – whatever the result.
Many factors influence performance on these kinds of assessments. We once tested one of our kids for the options programs offered by Chicago Public Schools. And though she tested as “gifted” (all kids are gifted at something) she admitted that she couldn’t hear the instructions properly and guessed at some of the answers. This was my first clue that the assessments – a mere few minutes with her – could be an accurate evaluation.
Sadly, once they’re in school the testing and assessment continue starting as early as 3rd grade.
That’s terrible and I could easily see that happening. Our youngest child is only 2 and knows her colors down pat but won’t tell you or will pretend like she doesn’t know if you ask her to identify them but when she wants to she’ll rattle them off. According to her old daycare teacher a lot of kids are the same way, they know the info but will pick and choose when they want to share it and who they want to share it with at those young ages.
Your questions are very valid and its so disappointing how quickly people are ready to label, stamp and classify our children based on an observational checklist. Just because a child doesnt demonstrate certain targets for an assessor doesnt mean he/she doesnt know how to do them, perhaps they are uncomfortable around this stranger, prefer doing them in a environment they feel safe such as home, or just doesnt feel like doing it at the time. Each child is different and an assessment test doesnt allow for much elaboration and explanation, in most cases the assessor is only given the options of yes or no according to what is observed doing those 15-20 minutes. There really should be space where one can elaborate and state the range of abilities and behaviors that the child shows at different times. They should loop in the feedback they receive from the parents who LIVE with the children and who are the ones TEACHING their child. You are absolutely right, that test didnt mean much at all. Continue to work with your babies, teaching them daily and everything will continue to fall in place.
I definitely didn’t take it as gospel Mike because I know what my kids can do. Lots of these test are angled at one way of learning as well and all kids learn differently.
As a school counselor, I get a lot of information from a child based on a tests. However, my training has cautioned me from making a blanket statement based on only one assessment, about any child but especially young children. Bottom line no one assessment can tell everything a child knows.
Thanks!
Thanks!
That’s true Lamar. My daughter won’t talk in front of certain people but when she’s around people she knows well you can’t shut her up. So she tends to do poorly on these evaluations because she’s slow to warm up. My boys on the other hand are quite the opposite.
Thanks RaMeka! Well stated!
This is why you find your OWN evaluators, Many insurances pay for them.
I was unaware of that. I will definitely check into that. Thanks!
Yes, I believe the educational system is setup to fail our kids. Especially in the African American community. Yes I do.
Especially in our public school system!
Kids can’t recite their alphabet or 123’s on cue. Why expect them to perform an assessment well in front of a stranger? An assessment should be followed with multiple assessments. When we start labeling kids, it’s dooms day. My son is funny, a charmer, and just as smart as his sisters, yet he chose to not apply himself. all my kids were born within three days of their due date. My son is somewhat shy and quiet. I noticed long ago that he is not a great test taker. Although he is shy and quiet a verbal test would have helped him more. Each child is different. To me my son said if I can’t beat them(his sisters) , I’ll quit trying. Thank GOD for the grandbaby he gave me. Things are looking positive. He had a few set backs and will finally start college in January. Life Happens. My grandbaby is 10 months today. My son is a wonderful father/daddy.
That’s great to hear Anna. That’s why I think its important for us as parents to be involved with our childrens education because we know them best. Congrats to your son!
I believe that there is too much emphasis put on test. Reason being that on the day the the child takes the test they may not be as focus as they need to be at that time. I believe a child will perform in their own God giving time. If worked with and given time they will turn out just fine. Take it from the author of this article, she too was premature and is doing just fine. Stop stressing everything will be just fine. From a very proud Grandma.
Thanks Mom!
Thanks Mom!
Speaking on the early childhood level it’s not developmentally appropriate nor should any evaluator who just met your children expect your children to perform well in front of strangers or someone they don’t know. I have worked in the early childhood setting for seven years and college and the aspects of just being around the children teaches us that we need to first form trust, and a relationship with the children before we try to meet them where they are. Going off your title and being in the classroom I would say Yes the Education System is setup to fail us, but the failure is not all due to what is occuring inside the classroom it’s has a lot to do with what is occuring before these children enter the classroom and the interest that is given to them and their work once they are in school.
I so agree with your comment. There has to be a relationship with the parents, the teacher and the child. If all stick together we can make such a great change. Some parents think that sending their child to school is a “free” babysitter. It only takes one kid to disrupt a class. Teachers are under paid and over worked. I always felt like a big shot when I was Parent for the day in one of my kids classes. I challenge any parent to spend a day in your childs classroom. It will eithter wake you up by wanting to do more, and make you feel like you don’t do enough for “Your” own child. Teachers Rock.
all the comments here are why I chose to home school. Yet I only am most convicted now in reading our instruction to do so, in the book of Deuteronomy. Interestingly, I have experienced what takes place with assessments both with the public sector and charter sector, and the home school sector. Results are amazing, and uplifts the child to want to learn even more, as it encourages simultaneously us hard working, parents who ultimately care for our children’s success. My purpose for saying so is to not promote a philosophy, but to share a discovery in truth. This journey and aspiration is shared by both working and non-working parents across the globe. We have much more in common than the U.S. Department of Labor and career articles portray we have to argue about.
I would challenge you not to dismiss the assessment of the evaluator, just because you don’t like the results. If the evaluator is well trained and is doing their job well, then they are going to be objective and give you their professional opinion. Educators want kids to succeed. It is in their best interest if they do. I think this is a problem we have both in the black community and with parents of this day and age. We want to disagree and make excuses everytime a professional says that our kids may be a little behind or might have a medical or emotional problem. In no way am I saying that you are doing this, and please don’t take this as an attack. I would recommend that you get a second opinion. But, if that second opinion is the same as the first, there might be some validity and some things to think about.
I agree ladies. That’s why I wasn’t completely on board with the evaluator because I’m extremely involved with my childrens education.
Thanks for your perspective Tia!
Ayanna, I believe there should be a series of test. That’s the only true way a determination can be made on a child’s progression. I have always wanted my children to get into the best schools, so we would do our research and prepare our girls as best we could to test well. And thank GOD, they were both able to get into the schools we wanted. I wouldn’t let it stop there though, I would request another assessment of the triplets. I pray that it will work out, and I know that it will.
I’m glad you said that Bryan because I’ve heard that statement before about parents specifically in the black community. Sometimes in our community we dismiss assessments because we believe their is nothing wrong with our children or we feel that they are being labeled. However, in my case as a result of the assessment I took it as a challenge to bring my children up to par where they were lacking. I work with them everyday so that they will be at and above the level of expectation. But again my children as slow to warm up to people they don’t know. So since we have a limited amount of time to be evaluated it counts against them because they aren’t comfortable yet they know the stuff. I happen to come across a Caucasian man with a 2 year old and he said he received the same type of assessment for his daughter and is also slow to warm up to strangers. So in writing this article it actually just wasn’t for the black community because its happening to all races. So thanks for bringing that up.
Thanks Tiya! I know they will be just fine.
Maybe your little ones need more practice in answering questions aloud upon request before you pursue additional evaluations. My now 6 yo is a straight A student in the 1st grade – but in preschool, he was really shy about speaking up and answering questions in the school setting – but at home, he talked our ears off. We encouraged and rewarded (ok, bribed) him to speak up more. Don’t let this rattle you. YOU are their Mama, and YOU know them best. Meet them where they are, and make sure their teachers do too – don’t allow them to write them off or label them.
Businessman Naveen Jain recently wrote about this in Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/naveenjain/ if you’re interested.
Bottom line – our system is broken and it won’t be fixed
until we’re prepared to take it apart at the bones and put it together
in a way that makes sense for all kids to be receiving the best education possible for their achievement levels.
Other countries have some ideas
Absolutely. Needs an overhaul.
This is nothing new – our test scores have been on the slide down for a decade.
Feel free to surf to my blog post: Naveen Jain