What Parents Need to Know About the Purpose of Assessment

By: Brittney McLimoreProduced as a class project at WKU for

CFS 294- Fall 2009

Assessment is…

• The ongoing process of gathering, analyzing, and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgments to improve future student learning.

The Purpose of Assessment

• To gather evidence of learning• Used to place young children in infant or early

childhood programs or to provide special services

• To be able to describe what the child has achieved

• Program planning• Research

Different forms of assessment

• Performance task• Classroom quizzes

• Portfolios of student work• Teacher observations• Standardized test

Why Parents Need to Know

They need to know about their child’s learning progress so that they can know the areas that their child needs additional assistance in.

Parents are needed

• Parents have an important role in the assessment process so it is important for them to understand the purpose of the assessment that is being done on their child.

• Infants and toddlers can’t understand their developmental progress so it is up to the parents and caregivers to be able to supply this information to the teachers.

Principles for Assessment

• Assessment should use multiple sources of information.

• Assessment should benefit the child and improve learning.

• Assessment should involve the child and family.

• Assessment should be fair for all children.

Assessment Benefits the Child

• Assessment is mainly used to determine whether the child is developing normally or exhibits delay and may need assistance or intervention.

• Assessments should not be used unless they benefit the child or enhance their learning in some way.

Assessment

• Methods of assessments are matched with the level of mental, social, and physical development at each stage of their growth.

• Assessment is needed because the developmental change in young children can be very rapid, so there is a need to assess them to determine whether their development is progressing normally.

Conclusion

• Parents need to be informed that their child is being assessed.

• Parents need to have some kind of input in the assessment process.

• Parents need to know the purpose or reason that their child is being assessed.

• Parents need to have the results of the assessment discussed with them.

References• Prep to year 10 assessment – assessment advice. (2006, July). Department of

education and early childhood development. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/assessment/preptoyear10/assessadvice/default.htm

• Wortham, S. C. (2008). Assessment in early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.