Can anyone help me answer a question on protecting children during educational assessments please?

[Pennies]

I know it is cheeky to ask you to help with my homework but I've been through the whole course book several times now and this just isn't covered and I'm not 100% sure what the question is getting at. Googling has just thrown up gobbledegook.

The question I'm struggling with is: How can you ensure that children are properly protected during assessment?

I've started by saying that children don't like to know that they're being assessed and that it should be done as unobtrusively as possible.

Beyond that I've ground to a halt. I'm looking for about 3 or 4 other points to make.

That the results are kept private and not available to unrelated people?

Ensure that all involved are CRB checked (or does that go without saying?)
Ensure they are not overly stressed by the process??

That the results of assessment are used constructively, and not punatively? (Is that even a word???) I mean that the children are not punished for doing badly.

if they become upset or bothered, the test must stop?

Oooh thank you so much - those points are really helpful.

What sort of assessment are you thinking of. Do you mean formulative asessment (where teachers are assessing children with a view to patching up holes in knowledge) or summative assessment (ie. SATS or an end of term test)

"children don't like to know that they're being assessed and that it should be done as unobtrusively as possible" not sure I'd entirely agree . When the child him/herself knows there is an issue (and usually they are aware of differences to their peers once of shcool age and certainly by ) it cna be helpful for them to consciously go throguht he assessment . It can be presented positively such that it is a means to getting help and often the child enjoys having one to one attention for a change. Really depends on the child and nature fo the issue being assessed.

Certainly if they are distressed or beocme tired and lose concentration it is pointless to prolong and a follow up needs to be arranged when the child is more likely to be cooperative, focussed and show his/her potential.

ah perhaps I've got the context wrong . I'm assuming it is assessments for SEN not routine such as SATs , CATs PIPS?

RT - on going assessment for Birth to Three and Foundation.

Lizs - I see your point but my feeling is that for this age range it needs to be done less overtly. I've not used the words I put in my post in my essay as I caveated it with things along the lines of "Some children may feel uncomfortable...".

just for the record PUNITIVE

oh, make sure other children are not privvy to someone's 'performance'
also, don't make comparisions eg ''Little johnny managed this really easily, I'm sure you can do it'' etc.
Praise and encourage, never criticise?
I don't know if this is too general.

When Ed psych was doing tests on DS (for SEN), she said "well done" after every question, even if he got one wrong - so I guess that you don't correct them when they make mistakes, so they don't realise iyswim.