chapter 2 observation and assessment ©2015 cengage learning. all rights reserved
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 2Observation and
Assessment
©2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Assessment Definitions Assessment
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Reflect on This
Which is the best way to get valid information on children and their learning? Standardized tests Authentic assessment
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Data Collection Tools
Anecdotal record Checklist Reflective log or
diary Case study Portfolio
assessment
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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