Assessments Without Tests
How We Measure Learning
I do not use traditional formal assessments. Thankfully, where we live, I am not required to—and honestly, I detest standardized testing. In my experience, it fails to capture a child’s intellect, curiosity, or unique way of thinking. More often than not, it does little to help a child grow.
Instead, I rely on observation, narration, and demonstration. If a child can tell me or show me what they know, they have truly learned the subject matter. This approach not only affirms mastery but also highlights areas of strength and weakness, allowing me to adjust my teaching or provide extra support where needed.
Daily Narration Practice
In practice, this looks like daily narration. Each child sits with me one-on-one and recounts orally—or sometimes in writing—what they’ve read, heard, or experienced. This simple practice fosters deep comprehension, critical thinking, and long-term retention. When children regularly narrate their learning, they build a strong foundation for all future education.
Quarterly, I expand this into open-ended assessments. I ask questions like:
“Tell the story of…”
“Tell me all you know about…”
Children respond to the best of their ability, orally or in writing. If narration is oral, I often record it on my phone and save the video to Google Drive.
A Living Record of Learning
At the end of this journey, what a gift this will be: years of notebook entries, oral narrations, and videos capturing the incredible breadth of what they’ve learned. It also serves a practical purpose: a portfolio of work that can support them if they decide to pursue higher education in the future.
For me, this approach is not just about avoiding tests—it’s about honoring the child as a learner, giving them space to express understanding in their own voice, and preserving a living record of their intellectual growth over time.
Why It Works
Narration teaches more than content; it teaches connection. When a child recounts a story, explains a concept, or reflects on an experience, they are practicing comprehension, memory, and expression—all at once. Over time, these narrations deepen, become more sophisticated, and reveal patterns and links across subjects that a standardized test could never capture.