Standardized Testing and the Montessori Classroom
Standardized Testing and the Montessori Classroom by Sarah Weber, M.Ed, AMI
Standardized testing is one way to evaluate student knowledge, skill, and ability that has been used for hundreds of years. The goal of these tests is to offer formal, consistent data to compare student standing. Unsurprisingly, there is controversy about the pros and cons of this assessment type. In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act mandated that schools in all 50 states complete yearly standardized testing. Years later, in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act was passed to reduce standardized testing.
Some believe that standardized tests cause teachers to focus on the demands of the tests versus the needs of their students. Some believe that without standardized testing, the United States will be unable to compete with international test scores and student opportunities will be limited. Regardless of how one views this assessment type, standardized testing is used in many settings throughout a student's learning journey; likely from elementary to college and beyond. Test taking has become a practical life skill. Students deserve to practice and build test taking strategies with patience and grace. It is necessary, then, to understand the classroom environment a student belongs to.
In Montessori, the main assessment type is observation. Observation during arrival, observation during work cycles, observation during transitions, observation during lessons, observation during lunch and play, observation during specials, observation, observation, observation! This is an excellent tool for knowing the inner workings of each unique child to guide their next steps and ensure they are successfully moving along in their social and academic journey. This assessment type, however, does not always allow for quantifiable data. In this way, observation is considered a formative assessment. To fill the “gap,” then, is when many stakeholders turn to standardized testing. Therefore, noting the variations in a Montessori classroom as compared to a traditional classroom becomes increasingly important when parents, teachers, and administrators analyze a student's data as shown from a standardized test.
Montessori classrooms are multi-age. This offers the Guide (teacher) the opportunity to support students in their unique path to learning beyond the expected curriculum for each age. In an Upper Elementary classroom serving 4th, 5th, & 6th year students, this might look like 6th years receiving lessons on content that is traditionally considered a 5th or 4th year standard or a 4th year receiving lessons on content that is traditionally considered a 6th or 5th year standard. Consequently, this might have an impact on a student’s standardized test results. If a 4th year student in a Montessori classroom is being tested on only 4th year content, the standardized test is not identifying the student’s full spectrum of knowledge. This student may not have been introduced to all of the expected 4th year content standards, yet they will have been introduced to a multitude of 4th, 5th, and 6th year standards. All content for this age group will have been covered by the end of their 6th year.
Taking only this into consideration, when analyzing standardized tests for students in a Montessori program, the final test of a child’s last year in their multi-age classroom will provide the most significant data. However, this does not take into account any other factors of each unique student’s experience before, during, and after a specific testing window. There are many non-academic qualities and experiences that can affect an individual test score. Parents of students in a Montessori program will receive the most complete picture of their child’s progress by connecting with their child’s Guide and collaborating to support their child’s growth and development within their classroom curriculum.
For Montessori parents, here are a few questions to ask your child’s Guide about the results of their standardized tests and the formative assessments performed throughout the day, week, month, and/or year:
What is the expectation for my child’s testing scores at the end of their 3-year cycle? (2-year cycle for Middle School)
How do you use this testing information in your instruction?
What other data points do you use to inform my child’s learning process?
Works Cited
History of Standardized Testing in the United States by the National Education Association, Published July 2020
Data and Statistics for Parents: Understanding Your Child’s Academic Assessments, American Montessori Society, Published November 2022