Different children learn and develop in varying degrees throughout the first eight years of their life. It therefore paints an inaccurate picture of a young child’s competencies when standardized tests are administered in school. Research conducted by Alliance for Childhood states that “standardized tests do not accurately measure young children’s knowledge and are not reliable indicators of future school success.” A young child’s performance is reliant upon the emotional and physical needs of the child during testing. A child being hungry, for example, will take precedence over him or her focusing on successfully completing the assessment. The skill level, therefore, is not accurately measured. Cases could also arise where the standardized assessment is so basic that it does not show what level some more advanced kids are in their cognitive development. On the other hand if the child does not do as well on the assessment, he may be subject to biased treatment from teachers.
The best way to observe and assess children is in natural environments. During this time, each child can be assessed n an individual basis. One of the most natural settings for a child is when he or she is at play. During play, teachers can observe social interactions, motor development, speech and auditory problems, and any other behavior which may appear unusual. They can get an accurate, untainted view into a child’s biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development and make their assessments then.
If teaching methods become a bit less structured, students can develop a personal understanding of educational material and have a better grasp on the information being taught to them. England has shared a system of standardized testing, similar to that of the United States since the 1980’s, but now, recommendations have been made to discontinue this method of evaluation. The Welsh system, which was formerly known for rigid testing has already implemented a new method. Welsh teachers have partnered with the government to create their own local tests. Instead of being limited to a teaching curriculum designed to simply learn what is necessary for testing purposes, educators “employ out-of-school experiences, in-depth research, and presentations, emphasizing applied learning” (FairTest). This form of learning and testing has greatly benefitted the students. The results are summed up in the words of head teacher, in Wales, Brian Lightman, "Our students now are so much more independent and capable of organizing and analyzing what they're doing, and they're able to improve as a result of that. They are very different in the way they go about their learning."
