Registration is open for WSM Tier I: First Principles, a workshop for school administrators
Register for the Adolescent Event at the AMI/USA Refresher Course
MISP International Montessori Adolescent Summit
April 22-25, 2015, Washington, DC
NAMTA's purpose is to maintain Montessori traditions, and at the same time, to be on the cutting edge of innovative education. Accordingly, we provide the medium for study, interpretation, and improvement of Montessori education.
This outline provides a basis for thinking about program assessment, relevant largely to public school systems, which are searching for appropriate instruments specifically designed to measure the unique characteristics and curriculum of the Montessori environment.
Student progress should be assessed by a variety of instruments, including the following:
Utilizes standardized tests for a national reference. Examples include the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the California Achievement Test, and the Stanford-Binet.
Measures student outcomes with the Montessori curriculum at a certain age. This will establish a closer link between student outcomes and the Montessori curriculum. The evaluation would need to be designed by both Montessorians and outside assessment experts.
Includes rating forms, checklists, and narrative descriptions, primarily in the social area. Suggested variables to consider include the following:
Focuses on the functioning of students and teachers in Montessori classrooms. Such inquiry would provide a means for contrasting the functioning of Montessori students with that of students enrolled in traditional classrooms. This comparison is integral to assessing the quality of education in factors such as time on task, independence, self-motivation, and responsibility.
The vast majority of Montessori schools with elementary programs, public and private, use standardized tests, which offer minimal disruption of Montessori classroom activity. For information on the uses and abuses of standardized testing in Montessori education, see the NAMTA's Whole-School Montessori Handbook.
There is as yet no national consensus on assessment strategies B, C, and D, although many schools use mastery checklists and anecdotal narratives as described under C. More research needs to be done in the area of Montessori-appropriate assessment tools.