A Take on Assessments.

I believe in the value of assessments. Formal and informal assessments are both necessary and beneficial pieces of the ‘moving learning forward’ pie. They allow us to see the strengths and the struggles, they highlight the gaps in learning, and they allow us to understand if what we’re doing as educators is benefiting our learners. However, no assessment or group of assessments and no report or set of reports can fully encapsulate the essence and knowledge of any child as a whole person. I truly believe this. When we assess a child we need to remember why we are assessing. We are not assessing and reporting so that we can summarize the child, we most often are assessing to summarize one very specific aspect of the child’s learning and development.

As parents, so much of what we know and understand about our child(ren) cannot be reflected through an assessment (or even words!). Whether it’s an athletic assessment, music assessment, or academic assessment; assessments can bring about a variety of feelings in parents. It can feel defeating, exciting, frustrating, relieving, confusing, validating, and so much more. I encourage you to find explore what your child loves, help them find what they are good at, share that experience with them, and enjoy the brilliance of seeing your whole child.

Desiree