“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.”
— Maria Montessori, Spontaneous Activity in Education (p. 240).
There is a lot of talk these days about assessing student performance. Montessorians in the public sector are faced with standardized curriculum and mandated standardized testing, while those in the private sector face questions about how Montessori curriculum aligns to said standards. In addition, private Montessori schools face tough criticism on their philosophy regarding assessment and testing. In fact, a common argument against Montessori education is that there is no accountability due to lack of student assessment.
