CE300-Observation and Assessment in Early

Childhood

Unit 2 Using Standardized Tests and

Authentic Assessments

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Agenda AssessmentPrinciples of Appropriate Assessment Uses of Assessment in Early ChildhoodAssessment Risks in Developmental StatusComprehensive Assessment SystemInformal Assessment StrategiesAssessment With Infants and Young ChildrenUnit 3 PreviewQuestion and Answer

Unit 2 Assignments

Reading: Read Chapter 2 of your eBook, Assessment in

Early Childhood Education Read the web resource article on the “Why,

What, and How of Early Childhood Assessment.”Complete Discussion Question (one each week)Complete Graded ReviewAttend Seminar

What Assessment Should Do

The objective is not to eliminate established methods of assessment and

replace them with new ones, but to formulate how to use each most

effectively to serve the needs of the child.

Principles for Appropriate Assessment

Assessment should:

use multiple sources of information

benefit the child and improve learning

involve the child and family

be fair for all children

Principles for Early Childhood Assessments

Assessment:

should bring about benefits for children  

should be tailored to a specific purpose and should be reliable, valid, and fair for that purpose  

policies should be designed recognizing that reliability and validity of assessments increase with children’s age  

Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e. © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

(Cont.) should be age appropriate in both content and the

method of data collection  

should be linguistically appropriate, recognizing that to some extent all assessments are measures of language  

parents should be a valued source of assessment information, as well as an audience for assessment results  

Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e. © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

What should be the purposes for assessing young children?

Appropriate Uses Of Assessment

In The Early Childhood Years

1. Assessments to support learning 2. Assessments for identification of special needs 3. Assessments for program evaluation and monitoring needs 4. Assessments for high-stakes accountability

Assessment for Risk in Developmental Status

In the preschool years, assessment includes evaluating and predicting the likelihood of a child developing a learning disability.

The evaluation measures identify: the nature of the problem, and helps determine the most successful

intervention

Developing a Comprehensive Assessment System

Standardized tests Designed to measure individual characteristics Determine development and learning Plan instruction Study differences between individuals and groups and

for guidance and counseling

Informal assessment strategies Determine development and learningHow are informal measures different from psychological

or standardized tests?

Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e. © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

An Introduction to Comprehensive Assessement

Field Trip 1(If video doesn’t load refresh the page)

Informal Assessment Strategies Observation Teacher-Designed Measures Checklists Rating Scales Rubrics Performance and Portfolio

Assessments

How do performance assessments differ from other types of informal assessment?

What should performance assessments reflect?

Informal Assessment Strategies

Performance and portfolio assessments: permit the child to demonstrate

understanding of a concept or mastery of a skill.

communicate learning and development from a meaningful perspective.

report student progress related to outcome-based assessments.

Using Assessment Results to Report Progress

In a comprehensive assessment system…

strategies are used to assess the child and report the child’s progress.

many examples of how the child demonstrated growth and achievement are provided.

Traditional reports and report cards provide a static snapshot of progress.

The teacher creates learning activities and direct instruction that reflect the curriculum goals established by the school, and also address how each child can best achieve these goals.

The teacher: selects the assessment methods that are linked

to learning experiences and instruction.

ensures that the assessments are fair, authentic for all children, and relevant to the information needed.

Using Assessments to Plan for Instruction

Assessment for Learning:Classroom

Assessment

Field Trip 2(If video doesn’t load refresh the page)

Assessment is OngoingPreassessments are conducted at the beginning of the

year to:• learn about individual differences and determine each

child’s current developmental level • plan appropriate curriculum experiences

Formative Assessment is used to monitor a child’s progress during a series of learning activities.

Summative Assessment is used at the end of a cycle of instructional experiences to confirm mastery of information or skills.

Wortham. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 5e. © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Conducting Assessments with Infants and Young Children

Teachers and other professionals who administer assessments need to be sensitive to young children’s very short attention spans and distractibility.

They should:1. Know the procedures and materials to be used2. Know if alternative procedures can be used for

children with disabilities 3. Have all materials ready prior to the session4. Be familiar to the child

(Cont. )6. Conduct the assessment in a setting familiar to the child

7. Develop rapport with the child before beginning the session

8. Be alert to signs of fatigue or behaviors that indicate the child is no longer responding

9. Use time efficiently without hurrying the child

Unit 3 PreviewReading Read Chapters 3 and 4 of your eBook,

Assessment in Early Childhood Education. Read the web resource article, “Assessment for

Children,” and visit one state’s website and explore “About Response to Intervention.”

Complete Discussion Question (one each week)Complete Graded ReviewAttend Seminar

ReferencesSegal, M., Bardige, B,. Woika, M.J., Leinfelder, J., (2006). All About Child Care and Early Education: A Comprehensive Resource for Child Care Professionals. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

Question and Answer

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