Discuss the folllowing:
Learning Outcomes
This week students will:
1. Evaluate informal assessment tools after administration to inform assessment selection.
2. Defend your position regarding assessment.
3. Create an informal Assessment presentation based on the case study, content knowledge, philosophy and reflection.
4. Synthesize information from the case study to align with the identified Early Childhood Education Topics and Program Learning
Outcomes.
Introduction
In the case study this week you will begin by seeing Mrs. Ashland engaged in a reflection of the day. In the reflection, the need for additional support is addressed. Examples of the role of collaborative support of children includes family partnerships, administrative support, community resource use and assessment shared decision making are highlighted. Exploration of developmentally appropriate assessment of children in the early education setting will also be a focus as it relates to shared decision making. Additional focus will be on the purpose of various assessment tools to support the development and learning of children. You will apply learning to the case study and classroom by identifying the appropriate assessment tools. You will explore several assessments and develop an assessment portfolio aligned with your philosophy. You will have the opportunity to complete the Program Comprehensive Exam, if not completed in Week Three. Remember the exam must be completed by Week Five Day 7.
Required Resources
Required Text
1. Krogh, S. (2013). A Bridge to the Classroom and Early Care: ECE Capstone. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
o Chapter 5: Assessment and Evaluation: The Background
o Chapter 6: Applying Assessment and Evaluation Skills
Article
1. Pretti-Frontczak, K., Carta, J. J., Dropkin, E., Fox, L., Grisham-Brown, J., Pope Edwards, C., & Sandall, S. (2013, February 7).
Frameworks for response to intervention in early childhood: Description and implications. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/RTI%20in%20Early%20Childhood_0.pdf
Supplemental Material
1. Heald, S. & Zaur, J. (2013). ECE 430: Week 4 case study: Assessment/resources. Ashford University, College of Education, San Diego, CA.
o In Case Study 4, Mrs. Ashland reflects on the day. As a result of her reflection, we see examples of the role of collaborative support of children including family partnerships, administrative support, community resource use and assessment shared decision making.
Recommended Resources
Article
1. Snow, K. (2011). Developing kindergarten readiness and other large-scale assessment systems. NAEYC Center for AppliedResearch. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/research/Assessment_Systems.pdf
o This report discusses specific considerations that take into account opportunities and serious cautions in the appropriate use of kindergarten readiness assessments.
Multimedia
1. Candice Broom. (2011, June 3). Deacon's PYP IB Portfolio for EY3 [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiTea-LUD_Y
o This is an example of an ePortfolio created by an early childhood classroom teacher to showcase a 3 year olds learning.
2. The Iris Center. (2012). Classroom assessment (Part 1): An introduction to monitoring academic achievement in the classroom. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/gpm/chalcycle.htm
o This module discusses how progress monitoring can affect the academic outcomes of students, and it demonstrates how to implement curriculum-based measurement with a classroom of students.
3. The Iris Center. (2012). Classroom assessment (Part 2): Evaluating reading progress. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/rpm/chalcycle.htm
o This module explores in detail the assessment procedures integral to RTI. It also outlines how to use progress monitoring data to determine if a student is meeting the established performance criteria or if more intensive.
Websites
1. Pre-K Student Portfolios (https://www.prekinders.com/student-portfolios)
o This website offers templates and tools for use in the pre-k classroom.
2. Jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)
o Jing gives you the basic tools to start sharing images and short videos of f your computer screen.
Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation.
1. Case Study Analysis
Case Study: Assessment/Resources, Mrs. Ashland was asked to be part of a shared decision of assessment selection.
Mrs. Ford, the Director of the center, asks her to use her knowledge of developmentally appropriate teaching approaches to evaluate specific assessment tools and practices that may be used center-wide. Mrs. Ford identifies the following tools for Mrs. Ashland to research and use in her classroom to help inform her decision:
o Anecdotal Records
o Checklists
o Rating scales
o Rubrics
o Running Records
The textbook explores these assessments further and provides specific examples to use for administration. Using the information gained in the case study, as well as the information and examples presented in the chapter, administer two of assessments of your choice. You may choose to administer to a child that you know and have permission to conduct an example assessment with, or you may use a child from one of the case studies in your text.
For this discussion, you will submit your reflections of the administration, addressing the following:
o What do you think the strengths of using this assessment are?
o What did you find challenging when administering this assessment? What is your action plan to improve this?
o After reviewing your findings, what did your results conclude?
o Based on your analysis of your assessment data, what are three recommendations that you have for the curriculum for the learner going forward? How will you use the assessment data to make instructional decisions?
Guided Response: Review your classmate's posts. Reply to one of your classmates that choose an alternative assessment that you think is the least effective based on your teaching philosophy and information gained from the textbook. Conduct a 10 minute observation using this tool. Provide a response to your peer including completion of the following prompts:
o In administering this assessment, I liked...
o In thinking about how I will use this in my career, I plan to...
o I wonder if this tool could be improved with/by...
2. Defend Your Position
This week Mrs. Ashland has been asked to be a part of a shared decision-making opportunity in an effort to adopt a center wide informal assessment tool that is developmentally appropriate for preschool children. Use this information to help develop your assignment
Read the 3 headings and scenarios which present various current controversies in early education. Choose one of the arguments and then choose a side of the argument to defend using your content knowledge, knowledge of developmentally appropriate assessment practices presented in Chapter 5, critical thinking and personal philosophy.
Heading 1:
Are Formal Standardized Tests acceptable to use in preschool?
Heading 2:
Do you think teachers are adequately prepared to use assessment data to make instructional decisions?
Heading 3:
Should there be a form of on-going informal assessment at the infant/toddler levels?
Guided Response: Review your classmate's posts. Choose two to argue respectfully for the opposing side. Be sure to justify your ideas with course content and knowledge. Remember to use respectful netiquette, but remember that challenging others' thinking through disagreements allows all individuals to better understand varying perspectives.
Journal
To complete the following journal entry, go to this week's Journal link in the left navigation.
1. Reflective Journal: Assessment and Planning for Instruction
An important part of being an educator is reflection. Reflection is a learning process through which you use your experiences and knowledge to guide you in the future. Each week you will have the opportunity to use your journal to reflect on the content you have learned in this course and throughout your degree program. Specifically, you will reflect on the connections you see between each case study and two to three topics from the Program Comprehensive Exam. This week we will be focusing on assessment and planning for instruction. Take a few minutes to think about how the case study addresses these topics. Additionally, read the article Frameworks for response to intervention in early childhood: Description and implications.
In this week's readings, we looked at the relationship between assessment and instruction and how the combination of these two support children's learning and development. A common trend in education that supports the relationship of assessment and instruction is Response to Intervention (RtI). By providing specific, targeted interventions for children, we are able to support their areas of strength and opportunity.
The questions below may spark some ideas regarding assessment and planning for instruction. You do not need to address all the questions; instead, write down your thoughts as they unfold. Reflect on the following in your journal:
• What were three main ideas that you learned from the article regarding RTI?
• Based on the case study, what elements of RTI do you think Mrs. Ashland is using with her students? Explain your thinking using justification, supporting details and critical thinking.
• What experience do you have using RTI with children? Explain how you use RTI. If you do not have any experience with RTI, what are your thoughts on using RTI with assessment and instruction
• What role do you see RTI playing in your future work with children?
Assignment
To complete the following assignment, go to this week's Assignment link in the left navigation.
1. Informal Assessment Presentation
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the assessment of children's development and learning is essential for teachers and programs in order to plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of the classroom experiences.
For this assignment, you will create an informal assessment presentation that you could share with prospective employers, your administrator, or other teachers and colleagues. Since you will be presenting to others in the field, there is no need to explain the basics of the assessment; rather, use this assignment to dive deeper with your explanation. This presentation should be a showcase of the knowledge you have regarding three specific informal assessments that are developmentally appropriate for children as well as your critical reflection of how you view the assessment adding to the quality of your program for your children.
Choose three specific assessments from the list below:
• Anecdotal Records
• Checklists
• Event Sampling
• Portfolios
• Rating Scales
• Rubrics
• Running Record
• Teacher and Child Self-Assessments
• Time Sampling
For each assessment:
a. Describe how the assessment will be used to support the following areas:
o Planning and Adapting Curriculum
o Improving Teacher and Program Effectiveness
o Tracking Children's Progress for Teachers and Families
o Screening for Special Needs.
b. Discuss the advantages of using the assessment.
c. Explain the potential obstacles of using the assessment.
d. Develop a plan of action to attempt to overcome obstacles.
While the required content will stay the same, you may be creative with how you will present your work. Some ideas include:
• Video or Audio Presentation, speaking to the required content. You will be able to send this to individuals throughout your career.
Be sure to check the compatibility of your file when uploading to be sure of visibility and clarity. If you choose this option, be sure to attach the link to your work in a Word document for submission.
• Visual/Text. You can create a text-based reflection using Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format to send to individuals throughout your career. If you select this option, it is suggested that you save your work as a PDF, which would allow you to send the file to potential employers in a widely accessible, professional format.
• Jing. You can use this free web-based software tool to create a presentation. This can be saved and shared easily with others using an active web link. If you choose this option, be sure to attach the link to your work in a Word document for submission.
You must be sure you have addressed the four requirements with careful thought and college-level writing. Please integrate your own insights and reflections, as well as research, as you complete this assignment. Additionally, refer to the textbook as well as at least one additional scholarly source. Citations should be properly formatted in APA style.