Types of Assessments for Kids

Observations

• Informal and formal assessments use observations by parents and professionals to collect information about children. Trained professionals use formal lists to check off observed actions, but observers may also make casual notes or look only for specific behaviors, such as actions that can be classified as aggressive or passive. Teachers use regular observation to evaluate the success of a lesson. Children modeling the information presented by the teacher show understanding of the lesson and the directions. Some observation checklists look only for changeable behavior to use later to incorporate as suggestions for change or child improvement. Examples of these specific assessment lists include checks for sports competitions and observation of students practicing the proper use of playground equipment.

Portfolios

• Portfolios contain groups of materials created by the child that can be used in assessment. Working portfolios collect materials over time, put together in a group, to later edit for final presentation. Final portfolios showcase material from a single project or represent work over a period of time such as a quarter, semester or year of schoolwork. Art classes traditionally use portfolios to feature student work, but other courses, including history and English classes, now collect student work in digital or paper form. Many schools ask students to collect material for portfolios over a two- or four-year period to demonstrate the growth during that time. Some colleges allow applicants to submit portfolios as proof of abilities for possible admission to the school.

Standardized Tests

• One well-known evaluation type is the standardized test, a staple of schools for decades. This assessment form asks groups of students to answer the same questions during a timed test period and evaluates the answers using keys developed by the test designer. Standardized tests traditionally ask true-false, multiple-choice and matching questions. Exams for younger kids without reading skills use symbols, while tests for older children sometimes integrate documents, text and charts and graphs. Schools use standardized tests to evaluate high school students for admission to college. Middle schools use elementary test scores for class placement, and high schools look for national and state standardized test scores to determine student admission to special programs, including advanced placement courses. Psychologists and psychiatrists frequently use standardized tests to assess the intelligence of children, according to the University of Texas Psychology Department.

Formal and Informal Ratings

• Informal ratings ask parents and teachers to evaluate children based on remembered behavior or general perceptions of the child, while formal ratings use a scale or inventory to collect information to arrive at formal assessments. Medical doctors use informal ratings combined with training to diagnose diseases. Parents might be asked if the child complained of a sore throat or had specific aches or pains, for instance. Teachers use formal assessment ratings to assign grades. Most teachers, however, combine various assessments, including informal, to arrive at a letter grade at the end of a semester or school year.