Holistic evaluation of literacy development: Framing the process

Abstract

Educators working out of a whole language perspective have become increasingly frustrated with an evaluation technology that is incompatible with their beliefs about teaching and learning. Many of these people have embarked on a search for alternative and, especially, more holistic means of evaluating student progress.

In this article the author proposes a framework for holistic evaluation of literacy development that is based on principles derived from whole language theory. These are that evaluation should be (a) longitudinal, (b) contextual, and (c) collaborative. The author argues that evaluation should be longitudinal because literacy learning occurs over an extended period of time and is a result of the child's individual and unique interactions with the world of print. The author proposes that evaluation should be contextual because of the functional nature of literacy use and the role that context plays in the reader's construction of meanings. The author believes that evaluation should be collaborative because it gives credence to the observations and judgments of the individuals who are most intimately aware of the child's growth as a literacy user, such as the parents, teachers, and children themselves.