Chapter 2 Observation and Assessment ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Assessment Definitions Refers to the collection of information for the purpose of making educational decisions about children or a program Methods should be developmentally appropriate Should be aligned with desired outcomes or goals for children State standards are often guiding assessment ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Assessment Definitions Child Outcomes What happens as a result of services provided to children Measured by the attainment of different child development milestones or skills ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Purposes of Assessment Provides information to stakeholders about expectations Helps teachers in planning instruction Helps administrators in improving programs Identifies children who may require special interventions Provides information for program accountability ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reasons for Observing Children To gain knowledge of age-appropriate behaviors To gain knowledge of individual differences To become aware of the total environment and influences on children To identify specific strengths and difficult areas for individual children To gather data to plan for individual children ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reasons for Observing Children (continued) To gain understanding of children’s stages of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and language development To gain an appreciation of children’s abilities, interests, perceptions, and personalities To gain knowledge of how children learn To identify how individual children react/relate to a group situation To become aware of positive (pro-social) and negative (anti-social) behaviors of children ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Authentic Assessment Ongoing process to determine a child’s strengths and needs, which supports teacher planning by using the information and insights gained to evaluate teaching techniques and curriculum Assessment data is gathered through observations, interviews, collections of children’s work and anecdotal records as children are actively involved in hands-on problem solving and investigation ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Authentic Assessment Careful assessment is especially important when planning for ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse young children and for children with special needs or disabilities ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reflect on This Which is the best way to get valid information on children and their learning? Standardized tests Authentic assessment ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Guidelines for Recording the Behavior of Young Children All information is confidential Observe quietly with little or no interaction Record objective observations in a clear, precise, and useful manner Think of the child and respect her as she is, not as you think she should be Be as familiar as possible with the age group before beginning to observe Use the speaker’s exact words when recording conversation ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Meaningful Assessment Strategies: Collecting data by observing children in a natural setting Using criteria that can assess children from birth to age eight all ability levels Categorizing observation results by curriculum content areas and developmental domains ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Meaningful Assessment Measures: Observational data on children’s work in the areas of language and literacy, early math, social development, self-help, nature, science, and so on Data is collected at the beginning of the year to document skills the children have at entry Teachers update the information as the year progresses and then enter data at the end of the year ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Guidelines for Interpreting Behavior of a Young Child Identify consistent patterns of behavior for a particular child over a specific period of time Document patterns of behavior with specific examples of such behavior Identify areas of difficulty and developmental delays as well as age- appropriate and accelerated development ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Guidelines for Interpreting Behavior of a Young Child Remember not to make assumptions about the child’s family life as the cause of her behavior at school/center Remember not to make assumptions about the child’s behavior away from the school/center ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Data Collection Tools Anecdotal record Checklist Reflective log or diary Case study Portfolio assessment ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Anecdotal Record Brief, informal narrative account describing an incident of a child’s behavior that is important to the observer May apply to a specific child or to a group of children One of the developmentally appropriate ways teachers can evaluate a child’s learning ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Anecdotal Record Anecdotes describe the beginning and ending times of the observation, an objective, and a factual account of what occurred (telling how it happened, when and where it happened, and what was said and done) Anecdotal records come only from direct observation and are written down promptly and accurately ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Checklist A record of direct observation that involves selecting from a previously prepared list the statement that best describes the behavior observed, the conditions present, growth and development, or the equipment, supplies, and materials available ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Checklist Checklists can be used to reflect common activities and expectations in classrooms structured around developmentally appropriate activities and based on national, state, and local standards Easy to use and helpful in planning for individual or group needs Eliminate the need to record all details of behavior ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reflective Log or Diary A teacher or administrator’s record of the most significant happenings, usually made at the end of the day or during an uninterrupted block of time Includes what stood out as important facts to remember for the day, written in as much detail as possible, and extends over a long period of time The diary description is an informal method of observation and is considered the oldest method in child development ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Case Study A way of collecting and organizing all of the information gathered from various sources, including observations of and interviews with the child, to provide insights into the behavior of the individual child studied Interpretations and recommendations are included Main purposes are to discover causes and effects of behavior, child development research, and to plan for the individual child ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Portfolio Assessment A systematic collection of information about a child’s ongoing development and the child’s work gathered by both the child and teacher over time from all available sources Portfolios come in many shapes and sizes, such as expanding, accordion-type files, file folders, cardboard boxes, scrapbooks, three-ring binders, or unused pizza boxes Teacher’s comments on each portfolio sample help document what the child knows, can do, and how she does it ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Portfolio is a Collection of Child-Produced Material Creative drawings and paintings Dictated stories Lists of books and stories read Product samples showing strengths and skills Samples of a child’s self-initiated “work” Photographs, audio and video tapes Teacher objectives for the child Anecdotal records, developmental checklists Family interviews and comments ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Keeping Up with Assessment Collecting data Spend at least 10 minutes three times a week collecting different kinds of data that capture children’s level of engagement and understandings, including casual conversations, written observations, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, and samples of their other work ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Keeping Up with Assessment Analyzing data regularly Time spent reflecting on your collection of documents will help you understand the growing skills and understandings of each child in your class The more kinds of documents you have, the fuller the picture you will have of each individual ©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.