Child Assessment
In the early childhood environment, assessment is the ongoing process of gathering and documenting evidence of learning.
The value of assessment extends beyond simply knowing what children can and cannot do. That is incredibly important information, but it is what educators do with this information that is the most valuable aspect of assessment in early learning.
The main goal of assessment is to inform decisions related to teaching practices, classroom environments, and curriculum planning. There may be some value to designing and implementing an activity without considering the needs and abilities of the children. But consider how much more valuable the activity would be if teachers could tailor expectations, interactions, and materials based on the needs of the children in the group.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) “Position Statement on Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation” states that educators must “make ethical, appropriate, valid, and reliable assessment a central part of all early childhood programs.”
According to NAEYC, assessment must serve 3 specific beneficial purposes:
- Helping teachers make sound decisions about teaching and learning.
- Helping teachers identify significant concerns that may require focused intervention for individual children.
- Helping programs improve their educational and developmental interventions.
In this month’s newsletter, we will look at how programs can use assessment data for these three specific purposes. CCEI has recently launched a new series on child assessment in addition to the free trial course of the month CUR134: An Introduction to Learning Stories. Courses in the series include:
- CUR135: Introduction to Assessment
- CUR136: Methods of Assessment in Early Childhood Education
- CUR137: Completing the Assessment Cycle
Register for these courses to learn more about assessment in early learning today!
For the article Making Teaching Decisions, CLICK HERE
For the article Identifying Concerns, CLICK HERE
For the article Making Program Improvements, CLICK HERE
For the article Director’s Corner: Supporting Teaching Teams as a Leader, CLICK HERE
