The HighScope COR

1. The HighScope COR

2. Objectives • Participants will be able to: • Use the COR to identify what children are learning through their play. • Use the COR to identify the developmental levels in children’s anecdotes. • Score the COR on a child.

3. Assessing Jesse • Watch the video clip of Jesse. • Assess his development. • Share your assessment results.

4. Overview of the COR

5. Getting to know you…. • In your group, you will be assigned 2 categories of the COR: • Initiative, Language and Literacy • Creative Representation, Math and Science • Social Relations, Movement and Music • Learn as much as you can about your assigned section – page 13 of your participant guide. • Concentrate on content, don’t worry too much about the format of the COR.

6. Getting to know all about you… • In your new groups, take turns teaching/summarizing what you learned about your section. Listen while others share their sections with you. • Use page 14 to jot down your notes.

7. Child Observation Record (COR): Authentic Assessment • Measures the full developmental range of school readiness skills children need • Initiative • Social Relations • Creative Representation • Movement and Music • Language and Literacy • Mathematics and Science

8. COR: Authentic Assessment • Observation-based • Preschool edition looks at children 2 ½ - 6 years of age • Infant/Toddler looks at children 6 weeks to 2 ½ years of age • Profiles 32 aspects of learning organized in 6 broad content categories

9. COR: Developmentally Appropriate • Process involves observations that occur in the normal course of a child’s day. • Content looks beyond a narrow traditional skill set to assess all aspects of young children’s development: social, emotional, cognitive, physical

10. COR: User-Friendly • Presented in clear, easy-to-understand language, no technical jargon • Does not require a specialized degree to use • Works within a program’s daily routine, without disrupting it

11. COR: Universally Applicable • Designed for use in any early childhood setting including: • State-funded classrooms • Child care centers • Public and private preschools • Head Start and Early Head Start programs • Family child care homes • Works with any early childhood curriculum including HighScope • Used throughout the United States and Internationally Taking an anecdote in South Africa

12. Reliability Inter-Observer Agreement: The extent to which COR users agree on scoring .73 for COR total score .69 -- .79 for subscales Internal consistency: The extent to which COR items within a subscale go together (similar, but distinct) .91 and .94 for COR total score .75 -- .88 for subscales COR: Research Validated

13. Validity Construct Validity: The extent to which the relationship between COR items indicate that groups of COR items work together to form distinct subscales Assessed using confirmatory factor analysis Concurrent Validity: Extent to which results from different measures say similar things to COR results COR total score correlations with the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB) .46 with Basic Information .57 with Cognitive Skills .62 with Response During Assessment COR: Research Validated

14. To assess the whole child. To provide teachers with strategies and activities to support the continued growth and development of children in their classroom. To provide parents with information about their child’s growth and development. To share information with administrators about the growth of children in their programs. Goals of the COR

15. Steps for Using the COR • Observe children • Record anecdotes and collect other information • Use the anecdotes as evidence to score the COR (identify a level) • Periodically, review your anecdotes • Compile outcome data • Use the data for program planning

16. The best evidence we have of whether we are succeeding as educators comes from observing children’s behavior. Alfie Kohn, “Grading: The Issue is Not How but Why,” Educational Leadership, 52, 2 October 1994, p. 40.

17. Relating Anecdotes toCOR Categories & Items Now, you’ll learn more about the COR categories and items.

18. COR Elements • The COR has 6 broad categories. • Each category has 3-9 specific items. • Each item has 5 developmental levels. • This week we are working with the categories and items.

19. COR Categories • Initiative • Social Relations • Creative Representation • Movement and Music • Language and Literacy • Mathematics and Science

20. COR Observation Items Book In your COR Observation Items book, turn to page 25 and then page 33 to see how the book is organized to help you.

21. Each section starts with a rich overview of the category. Stop and read the overviews for each of the six categories: • Initiative – p. 3 • Social Relations – p. 9 • Creative Rep. – p. 15 • Movement & Music – p. 19 • Language & Lit. – p. 25 • Math & Science – p. 35 Observation Items, page 25

22. Observation Items, page 33 Each COR Item has it’s own page, as seen here. COR Category COR Item More about this Item Other items in this category Item levels Other categories

23. Relating an Anecdote to a COR Category and Item • Carefully read your anecdote. • Use your COR Observation Items to choose the category that you feel is related to the anecdote. • Read through the items in that category and select the one that your anecdote illustrates. NOTE: If it’s not a good “fit”, keep looking. Don’t force an anecdote into an item!

24. Entering An Anecdote: Manual COR Version • Turn to the child’s individual Child Anecdotes booklet. • Write the anecdote under the appropriate category. • Circle the letter of the appropriate item • Circle the number of the appropriate score. (Don’t do this now. We will cover scoring later.)

25. Sample Child Anecdotes Booklet Page

26. This is what an anecdote looks like in the Child Anecdotes booklet…

27. Entering An Anecdote: COR CD-Rom or OnlineCOR.net Versions • Click on the child’s name. • Type in the anecdote. • Select the appropriate category. • Select the appropriate item. • Select the appropriate score. (Don’t do this now. We will cover scoring later.)

28. Cross-referencing • If you have an anecdote that fits under more than one category, you can cross-reference it! • Cross-referencing saves time because you don’t have to re-write anecdotes. • Cross-referencing helps you see the breadth of the anecdote.

29. Cross-referencing:Manual COR Version • Place the anecdote under one of the categories you are considering. For example, if it fits under both Creative Representation and Initiative, write the anecdote under only once category. Choose the item and score. • At the end of the anecdote make a note to indicate that it also illustrates another item, for example, “X-Ref: Item W.” • Circle the cross-reference note to make it readily identifiable. • Then turn to the other COR category and circle the appropriate item. Instead of rewriting the anecdote, jot down the page and item where the anecdote can be found For example, “see page 19, item M.”

30. Cross-referencing:COR CD-ROM or OnlineCOR.net • Enter the anecdote and select your first category, item, and score as you normally would. • For example, if you are considering items A and Q, it doesn’t matter which item you choose to do first. • Then, select another category, item, and score for the same anecdote. • The computer records the both scores for you!

31. Let’s try it! Here’s your anecdote: 4-10 At work time, in the art area, Moya drew a recognizable picture with crayons. She climbed up in my lap and showed me her “sun, tree and the bush where the bunny hides.”

32. Where does this anecdote go on the COR? Category: Social Relations Item E: Relating to adults and Category: Creative Representation Item J: Drawing and painting

33. What does it look like?

34. What if an anecdote doesn’t seem to match any COR Item? • You will occasionally have anecdotes that fall under one of the 6 COR categories, but don’t illustrate any of the items. If that’s the case, • Simply record the anecdote under the category and stop there. Don’t record an item or score. • Remember, the COR is a sampling of important child skills and abilities. “Unscored” anecdotes may still be useful in planning and in preparing family reports.

35. Working with Latrice’s Anecdotes • Use Latrice’s anecdotes and find the corresponding COR category and item for each (pages 22-23)

36. Scoring Anecdotes You’ll learn more about scoring your anecdotes.

37. COR Developmental Levels • Now that you’ve chosen a category and selected an appropriate item, it’s time to score the anecdote. • Each COR item has 5 developmental levels: • 1 is the simpler level • 5 is the most complex

38. Sample Anecdotes COR Level Sample Anecdotes Observation Items, page 33 Level Explanation Each Item has 5 Levels. Each Level has an explanation and sample anecdotes.

39. Scoring Guidelines • To score an anecdote, turn to the item you’ve selected. • Read through all five levels, explanations, and sample anecdotes. • Choose the level that your anecdote illustrates most clearly. • If you’ve cross-referenced the anecdote, select the appropriate level for the cross-referenced item in the same manner.

40. Scoring Conflicts Can’t decide between two levels? • Don’t score the anecdote yet. • Continue to collect anecdotes for this item. Additional anecdotes may show the child’s developmental level more clearly. • Return to the un-scored anecdote. Score it based on what you now know about the child. Otherwise, score it at the lower level you’ve been considering.

41. Scoring Example Use your Observation Items to score the examples. • Here is an anecdote for item L: 3/11 Outside, Vinnie ran around the tree house climber three times and then went up the steps, one foot after the other holding on to the railing. • The score would be a 3: Child walks up or down stairs, alternating feet.

42. Scoring: You Try It! • Try scoring this anecdote for Item B: 03/19 During work time, at the water table, Liam wanted to make water come out of the tubing “like a fountain.” First he tried pouring water in one end of the tube and the water just poured out the other end. He then blew in the tube and the water did come shooting out in a blast. • What score did you get? HINT: Use your Observation Items to score!

43. Liam at the Water Table

44. Scoring Answer • You should have gotten a level 4. • Liam tried two ways to solve a problem with materials: he tried pouring and then blowing to make a fountain.

45. The newest HighScope game show… Name that Score!!!

46. 9/27 WT, in the block area, Jason put the blocks into a heap. He said, “Everyone get away from the dynamite, it’s gonna go up higher than a tree! Name this score: Item R 9/27 WT, in the block area, Jason put the blocks in a heap. He said, “Everyone get away from the dynamite, it’s gonna blow up!”

47. R. Using vocabulary 1. Child talks about people or objects close at hand. 2. Child talks about absent people or objects. 3. Child uses vocabulary related to a particular subject. 4. Child uses two or more descriptive words to describe something. 5. Child asks about the meaning of a word. R. Using Vocabulary Level 3. Child uses vocabulary related to a particular subject.

48. Name this score: 11/02 At WT, in the house area, Deola, Aisha, and Jason, pretend to be “puppies,” crawling and sniffing around the table. “Pretend I’m sad `cuz my mom died,” Jason said. “She was killed by a hunter.” Item K. 11/02 At WT, in the house area, Deola and Jason, pretend to be “puppies,” crawling and sniffing around the table. “Pretend I’m sad `cuz my mom died,” Jason said. “She was killed by a hunter.” And he pretended to cry.

49. K. Pretending 1. Child acts like an animal, object, or another person. 2. Child uses one or more objects to stand for another object. 3. Child uses both words and actions to portray a role, situation, or setting. 4. Child engages in role-play with two or more children. 5. Child steps out of a role-play situation to clarify it or give directions, then returns to the play. K. Pretending Level 5. Child steps out of a role-play situation to clarify it or give directions.

50. 3/11 At Snack, Andrew told Vinnie and Jordyn about a boy he knows named Randy. “I know,” he said, “Candy could be his sister and Fandy could be his brother!” Name this score: Item T. 3/11 At snack, when Vinnie told Jordyn about his cousin Randy, she said,“I know-Candy could be his sister and Fandy could be his brother!”