Curriculum and Assessment in Early Childhood Settings

1. Curriculum and Assessment in Early Childhood Settings

2. Overview of Today’s Discussion • NAEYC Position Statement on Curriculum and Assessment • Why we assess • Types of assessment • Environmental • Screening • Formal Evaluation/Diagnostic • Ongoing Assessment

3. NAEYC Position Statement • Current Trends & Issues: • Changing landscape and context in ECE • Support for value of high-quality/well-planned curriculum and assessment processes • Increased accountability = standards • Understanding how to appropriately implement a curriculum and assessment

4. Curriculum • “Curriculum is a complex idea containing multiple components, such as goals, content, pedagogy, or instructional practices” (NAYEC, 2003). • Curriculum should also be: comprehensive, evidence-based, goal-oriented, and is inclusive of children’s home languages and cultures.

5. Indicators of Effectiveness in a Curriculum • Children are active and engaged • Goals are clear and shared by all • Curriculum is evidence-based • Valued content is learned through investigation, play, and focused, intentional teaching • Builds on prior learning • Is comprehensive • Aligns with professional standards • Is linked to assessment procedures

6. Assessment • “Assessment is the process of gathering information about children from several forms of evidence, then organizing and interpreting that information” (McAfee, Leong, & Bodorova, 2006).

7. Why Do We Assess Young Children? • To monitor development and learning • To guide planning and decision making • To identify children who may have special needs • To report and communicate with others

8. Characteristics of Assessment Measures • Assessment measures should: • Assess young children’s strengths, progress, and needs • Be developmentally and age appropriate • Be culturally and linguistically appropriate • Be inclusive of families • Be valid and reliable for populations served

9. Types of Assessment • Environmental Assessment • Screening • Formal/Diagnostic Evaluation • Ongoing Assessment of Children’s Development

10. Environmental Assessment • These instruments help us better understand and improve the quality of the learning environment. • Examples of environmental assessments: • Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 2005) • Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 2003) • Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 2007) • Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Tool (Smith, Brady, & Anastasopoulos) • Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta, LaParo, & Hamre, 2007)

12. http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ecers/ecersoverview_frame.html

16. Screening • Screening is a brief measure at one point in time of a child’s development in a certain developmental domain. • Used to determine if a child is developmentally “on-track” or if they need further evaluation for special education services. • Screenings are typically done when a child enters a program. • Screening results are not to be used to assess a child’s ongoing development.

17. Sample Screening Instruments • Ages & Stages Questionnaire (0-3) • http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/squires-asq/index.htm • Denver Developmental Questionnaire (0-3) • http://www.denverii.com/benefits.html • Brigance Preschool Screen- II (3-5) • http://www.casamples.com/downloads/11968s.pdf • Developmental Indicators for Assessment of Learning, 3rd Ed. (DIAL-3) (3-5) • http://tinyurl.com/4u8xsj7 • Early Screening Inventory- Revised (ESI-R) (3-5) • http://tinyurl.com/4pelaou

18. A G E S & S T A G E S Q U E S T I O N N A I R E

19. A G E S & S T A G E S Q U E S T I O N N A I R E

20. D E N V E R S C R E E N I N G

21. Formal/Diagnostic Evaluation • If children fail a screener and there are concerns about the child’s development, a child can be referred for a more in-depth evaluation of their developmental status. • Consent from parents should be obtained before referring. • The evaluation is typically conducted by a team of professionals with expertise in child development or in some cases, medical professionals.

22. Ongoing Assessment of Children’s Development • “A systematic procedure for obtaining information from observation, interviews, portfolios, projects, tests, and other sources that can be used to make judgments about children’s characteristics” (NAEYC Position Statement, 2003). This is what we will be focusing on this semester in clincals!!!

23. Types of Ongoing Assessment • Observational assessment: This is primarily what you will be doing in clinical • Direct assessment: Standardized and other tests • Portfolio assessment • Interviews with parents and/or other teachers

24. Now let’s play… Name the assessment!

25. Name the Assessment? • Two weeks ago Alonzo joined Ms. Sandra’s classroom. He is a healthy three-year old who is physically active and loves to play outside. Although Alonzo appears to have advanced gross motor skills, Ms. Sandra is concerned because he only speaks in one or two-word phrases. What assessment should she use with Alonzo: • Environmental Assessment • Screening • Formal Evaluation • Ongoing developmental assessment

26. Name the Assessment? • Mr. Marx is a new teacher in a kindergarten classroom. He thinks that he has set up a safe and supportive classroom, but he would like to learn more about how his classroom rates. What assessment should he use? • Environmental Assessment • Screening • Formal Evaluation • Ongoing developmental assessment

27. Name the Assessment? • After several months in the program, Alyssa’s mother asks Ms. Chen how her daughter is progressing as a new child in the toddler room. What assessment information would Ms. Chen reference when sharing information with Alyssa’s mother: • Environmental Assessment • Screening • Formal Evaluation • Ongoing developmental assessment

28. Name the Assessment? • At the beginning of each school year, all children at Happy Valley Head Start are screened to determine their developmental level in a number of areas. Nathan, a 4 year old child, failed the speech and language screening. What assessment should be considered for Nathan. • Environmental Assessment • Screening • Formal Evaluation • Ongoing developmental assessment

29. Coming Up • Read: • McAfee, Leong, & Bordova, Basics of Assessment, pp. 21-33.