From the readings, you can see that parents are often intimidated when told their child will benefit from an assessment. Their worries include thoughts such as, what will the assessment be like? Will my child be scared?

From the readings, you can see that parents are often intimidated when told their child will benefit from an assessment.  Their worries include thoughts such as, what will the assessment be like?  Will my child be scared?  What happens if my child doesn’t do well?  Will I look like I’m not a good parent?  Will my child be labeled?

Now think about assessments from the perspective of children, especially young children – through age 8 years.  How do you think they might feel?  Sometimes children will be taken outside of the classroom by a staff member who will take out the materials needed for the assessment and start interacting with the child.  Imagine what is going through their heads.  How will their feelings affect the testing results?  Might they be excited? — nervous?  Please be specific.

Please share any personal stories about assessments and young children.