Assessment and Testing in the Montessori Environment

As parents we need to examine our hopes for children in their educational journey. Is it for them to score high on a standardized test, or is it for them to feel confident and motivated to contribute in some way to the world in which they live? Is it for them to be a top speller in their class, or is it for your children to approach others with respect and problems with solutions? In a Montessori environment testing and assessment serve to further the development of the human personality and are not ends in and of themselves.

In a Montessori school assessment occurs in many ways. To name a few:

The Montessori three period lesson
- 1st: A Gift from the Guide, “These shapes are congruent.”
- 2nd: Show me, “Show me the congruent shapes.”
- 3rd: Recall, “What are these shapes called?”
Control of error built into the materials
Isolation of difficulty in lesson sequence that allows the adult and child to assess understanding of complex processes from the beginning to the end
Observation of child at work and review of child’s work
- Questioning & Answering
- Verbalizing processes in one’s work referred to as “self talk”
- Involving children in the assessment of their own work, “What seems to be missing here?” “How do you think you did on this?”
Recalling and applying acquired knowledge to new concepts (consistently done due to the interrelated approach of Montessori)
Peer self-checking/editing of work
Giving lessons to other students
Regular Conferences for elementary and MS students, helping them make and own the choices in their educational process
Use of portfolios and rubrics with older students (UE and MS)
Quizzes and Tests, both teacher and student produced
Project work culminating in presentations
Standardized testing at 3rd, 6th, and 9th grade years

Standardized testing occurs at the capstone years at MSR - third, sixth and ninth grade. The IOWA Test of Basic Skills is administered in the spring of the third and sixth grade and the Iowa Test of Educational Development, comparable to the ITBS, in the spring of 9th grade. These assessments provide individual parents with an overview of their child's performance in Language, Reading and Math at the time of testing.

Test data is combined with the more comprehensive records and working knowledge of the students from teachers to inform the receiving level teachers about a child's strengths and areas of challenge as captured in this one-time testing opportunity.

Additionally, by analyzing the data, looking for trends, the test data assists MSR with identifying areas of strength and relative weakness of our program, affirming what we do well and highlighting areas we need to provide more or specific learning experiences for children. Please remember that formal testing is only one snapshot into a child's performance at a given time.

Overall our Montessori students, compared to other independent school students who are without learning challenges, show a minimum of two years ahead of their grade level or in the top 10% to 30% percent of all students taking the test nationally. For example, this past year our third level students scored a composite of 90% across all disciplines. This placed them in the top 10% nationally or at a 5th grade level or higher.

The skill sets achieved and knowledge gained in each discipline or curriculum area are all essential means or milestones along this educational journey, but they do not stand alone. They are not the ends but means for our greater goal of guiding our children in their development toward a meaningful adulthood.

What a gift Montessori is for our children and our family. Each day I am amazed by what my children are learning. In addition to developing solid “traditional” academic skills, they are learning valuable life skills which will serve them very well in the future. —Lower Elementary parent