Testing in Montessori Schools?

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In my last post I began a discussion about a possible EdD in Montessori education at the high school level. Since then, I’ve done more research on the topic.

I found an extensive, thirty-six page evaluation by The Riley Institute at Furman University on Montessori schools in North Carolina. Take a look at the number of PUBLIC school districts with Montessori schools! I had no idea there was even such a thing as a public Montessori school, let alone this many in one state.

Apparently SC is the leading school in this venture, which is why Riley conducted their evaluation there. “According to the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, there now are more public Montessori programs (45) in South Carolina than any other state in the country (7,402 students by the end of the 2015/16 school year).” (p. 5)

The evaluation begins by echoing what Dr. Maria Montessori’s philosophy of education was. There are specific and necessary components of a Montessori program in order for it to be considered authentic. These are:

  • multiage groupings that foster peer learning
  • uninterrupted blocks of work time
  • guided choice of work activities
  • specially designed lessons
  • hands-on Montessori learning materials carefully arranged and available for use to students in an aesthetically pleasing environment
  • no extrinsic rewards offered or grades assigned
  • children are encouraged to explore personal interest while widely engaging with others

I highlighted the sixth bullet because, if you are like me, my left eyebrow went straight up when I read that no grades are assigned for Montessori students. The other bullets? No problem. But how does a public school, or any accredited school for that matter, get away with not assigning grades?

In a perfect world, stepping away from letter grades, or even a 4-point grading scale, would be ideal. This would organically allow students to move up to the next level as they are able and according to their learned skill sets. However, the American education system, from around 4th grade all the way to the upper echelons of collegiate learning, mandates grades. It’s how we promote students to the next grade and how we determine college acceptance. It’s what we put on our resumés to convince potential employers that we are highly qualified.

The Riley evaluation mentions testing again on page 4. When polled, the SC Montessori teachers confessed that they were concerned “about the amount of time spent testing.” Obviously, this statement contradicts the “no testing” assertion in Dr. Montessori’s philosophy of education.

Ann Pilzner, head of The Montessori School in Kalamazoo, MI, writes that her students take the NWEA MAP test twice per year. Her approach to using MAP testing is more “about the process and the experience for the child” than about actual results and assessment.

I found a thirteen page academic journal entitled, “Examining a Public Montessori School’s Response to the Pressures of High-Stakes Accountability.” I will be reading through the article this week and will report my findings on the HofH. Stay tuned!

Future Montessori discussions on the HofH:

  • standards incorporation
  • school attendance
  • student/teacher retention rate
  • student transition from Montessori to a liberal arts curriculum
  • an interview with the head of school of our own, local Montessori school, Hermosa (pending)
  • an interview with former students of Hermosa who moved to Desert Christian High School (confirmed)

Montessori Methodologies in High School?

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Well, 2020 has been an interesting year so far, hasn’t it? I’ve seen memes galore. Some of my favorites:

And then, there were more after the first presidential debate:

I finished off the 2019/20 school year remotely, not being able to hug my students goodbye. They knew I wouldn’t be back next school year because my family would be moving overseas to Qatar. The physical distance was devastating, but then again, we were all going through it, so I didn’t feel alone.

The summer came and went, and then new school season began at my school, someone else teaching “my” students in “my” classroom. I am still in country due to delays in visa processing, #coviddelays, and so I find myself at home, a full time mom helping my own three children manage full time online learning through the overseas school we all thought we’d join in person back in August. It’s a good thing. They need my help, and family always comes first. Still, in my free time I find myself considering other ways to continue my love of learning.

This search has me thinking about a doctorate degree. I’ve been looking around at different schools and trying to wrap my head around what I’d want my dissertation to be about. Curriculum and instruction is what really excites me, especially after this whole “forced distance learning” thing, compliments of COVID19.

In most circumstances, I haven’t seen it done well. Problem-based and student-centered learning can be difficult enough for teachers to wrap their heads around, but add in remote learning and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. However, you might enjoy this episode from i.nspiration e.ducation which highlights best practices in online learning for the kindergarten classroom.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but my guess is that distance learning will not go away now that it is here. Even if does, becoming more versed in curriculum and instruction is something we could all benefit from. Educators want our students to love to learn, but this is almost impossible without first equipping ourselves in skills such as student engagement through intrinsic motivation. Excelling at designing curriculum, both vertically (school or district wide) and horizontally (your own classroom aligned to the vertical), can help. Learning how to deliver our content in new and exciting ways can help.

To this end, I am reading in earnest about the Montessori philosophy of education. Perhaps Maria Montessori’s methodologies could be intertwined into a future dissertation about high school curriculum and instruction? This would be most interesting as her perspective changes little as children grow, but the actual implementation dwindles past middle school. I’ll keep you updated!

Social History Interview Project

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One of the best things about being a teacher is that I can always change things up for the betterment of my students! As such, I came up with a new summative assessment this semester: a social history interview project. Years ago, during my student teaching phase in Korea, my mentor teacher asked her world history students to complete a report after watching one of the student-led interviews of a Holocaust survivor. I had been thinking a lot about this website as project-based learning; not about the report the students were asked to prepare.

Then, during my master’s program at Grand Canyon University, I learned a lot about social history. It’s definition: the emphasis on the interaction of different groups in society, which (arguably) began in the 1960s and initially focused on disenfranchised social groups (but later began to focus more attention on the middle and upper classes).

Putting the two together, project-based learning and social history, I came up with this semester’s new summative assessment, the Social History Interview Project, which can now be viewed on i.nspiration e.ducation, the YouTube channel I started with my colleague and master educator, Meg Chandler.

My dream was to continue this project year after year, until the database became vast. Alas, this dream will need to be put on hold, as my family is moving to the Middle East! Perhaps one day I will have an opportunity to teach again. Fingers crossed!

Below is the overview of the social history interview project and its goal and purpose, which were explained to my students.

Overview

For this semester-long project, you will gather oral history from one person in order to: develop your understanding of social history, ability to work under a timeline with preassigned due dates, and interview skills. By the end of this project, you will also gain a deep understanding about a past event(s) and/or experience(s). The final product will either be a video or audio recording of the interview, which will be publicly shared online as a small database of social history from the Desert Christian High School community.

Goal and Purpose:

You will gain a deep understanding of modern, social history through face-to-face involvement, documenting the stories of our community members. At the same time, you will provide a public service via the publication of your interview. This project will begin the process of understanding the diverse history of those connected to our student body. Finally, you will create your own primary source material for use by future students, community members, and even researchers around the world!