EXPERT ADVICE

Assessment techniques are used to determine what children know and to inform teachers about what to teach next. The kind of information teachers gather is crucial in helping children do their best.

Gathering helpful information can be accomplished in a variety of ways. What is most useful is evidence from children about what they can do on a variety of tasks. For example, we know that a close relationship exists between reading and writing. Looking at a child’s writing can tell us how that child understands and uses language. If writing samples are kept over time, teachers, parents and the child can compare earlier and later work to see what growth has occurred.

Many schools use this process of gathering what the child produces and keeping it in a portfolio. Looking at the progress a child is making over time can help inform everyone about the child’s strengths and challenges.

When schools evaluate children by looking at their weaknesses, children get shortchanged. Such a process only offers a snapshot of a skill--such as, “Cynthia does not use complete sentences.”

What we want to see is when Cynthia uses incomplete sentences and if there are times when she does not. Looking at a broader picture of a child requires much more information than the scores students receive on standardized tests.

Another important aspect to assessment involves the child’s point of view. W. Edwards Deming, often heralded as the father of the “total quality management movement,” believed that no one should evaluate or judge anyone else. Doing so, he said, would guarantee that no one would rise above the benchmarks or standards set for them.

It seems true. I don’t think I ever wrote a paper that was longer than the assigned number of pages.

Asking children what they did well and what they might do to improve can teach them to assess themselves. This process of learning to self-evaluate is a way to help children take responsibility for their learning. William Glasser, designer of the Quality School process, asks children to place a Q on their work if it’s a quality paper. No one should be surprised to learn that children know the worth of their work.

Another process gaining attention is known as “kid watching,” a term coined by reading researcher Yetta Goodman to describe how adults can focus on what children are doing as readers and writers. Teachers and parents watch what children do and record what they see. These anecdotal records again focus on what a child does over a period of time so that change can be noted.

The adage “No one has ever grown simply because they were measured,” is often cited these days as a reminder that standardized tests themselves cannot raise achievement. If we want our children to do their best, we have to understand what they can do and help them take steps to improve.

BOOK EVENTS

* Tuesday in Los Angeles: Preschool stories about dragons featuring animal puppets at the Little Tokyo Branch Library. 244 S. Alameda St., 10:30 a.m. (213) 612-0525.

* Tuesday in Porter Ranch: Stories and crafts celebrating the Chinese new year at the Porter Ranch Branch Library. 11371 Tampa Ave., 4 p.m. (818) 360-5706.

* Tuesday in Los Angeles: Learn tips for reading to your children at the Mark Twain Branch Library. 9621 S. Figueroa St., 4 p.m. (323) 755-4088.

* Wednesday in La Verne: Alexis O’Neill, the author of “Loud Emily,” will sign copies at Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop. 1030 Bonita Ave., 10 a.m. (909) 599-4558.

* Saturday in West Los Angeles: Author Erica Silverman will read and sign her most recent book, “Raisel’s Riddle,” at Children’s Book World. 10580 1/2 West Pico Blvd., 10:30-11:30 a.m. (310) 559-2665.