8084MOD2DISCUSSION
Response1
WFarley Discussion - Module 2 Part 1
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In my opinion, the greatest debate in the field of early childhood is the understanding of developmental domains and their importance to children’s development. When children are of age to attend preschool and pre-k, many families bombard me with questions about their child’s development in reading, writing, and math. This comes with little regard for whole-child development and the rate at which children grow and learn. A common theme that is found when gaining a deeper understanding of child development is the interrelatedness of all domains of development. By providing learning environments that are conducive to the interrelatedness of physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and language development, as well as approaches to learning allows early childhood educators the ability to foster healthy development and improved student academic outcomes (National Association for the Education of Young Children, n.d.). With this in mind, many early childhood professionals deem play-based learning and assessment as the most effective means for children’s healthy development. Play allows children to make sense of the world around them through a combination of structured and unstructured exploration (Dennis et al., 2013; National Association for the Education of Young Children, n.d.; Singer, 2013). When children engage in play experiences, this leads to more authentic opportunities for holistic development and ongoing assessment.
I believe that ongoing assessment of young children allows for educators to create a holistic view into the child’s development, developmental patterns, and developmental needs. The use of annual assessment to track young children’s development is simply not developmentally appropriate due to the nature of how children learn and develop. Strategies for the developmentally appropriate assessment of young children should include assessment measures that collect data through authentic observation of children’s tasks and behaviors in their natural setting (Jiban, 2015). This is known as authentic assessment. In today’s culture of early childhood development, programs tend to utilize annual assessments to drive their curriculum and teaching practices. This is detrimental to the field as a whole because of the potential for educators to begin to teach for assessment and not for the holistic development of the child. Often, improper assessment tools focus on reduced developmental abilities and can lead to the narrowing of teaching practices and misalignment of curriculum goals (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003). Alignment of the program’s goals, curriculum, and assessment practices should be at the forefront of program goals and outcomes. I believe that this ever-growing phenomenon within the field can be interrupted through the use of authentic assessment measures closely aligned to developmentally appropriate curriculum and program goals with holistic child development in mind.
References
Dennis, L., Rueter, J., & Simpson, C. (2013). Authentic assessment: Establishing a clear foundation for instructional practices. Preventing School Failure, 57(4), 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2012.681715.
Jiban, C. (2015). Early childhood assessment: Implementing effective practice. Northwest Evaluation Association. http://info.nwea.org/rs/nwea/images/EarlyChildhoodAssessment-ImplementingEffectivePractice.pdf.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). Principles of child development and learning and implications that inform practice. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/principles.
Singer, E. (2013). Play and playfulness, basic features of early childhood education. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 21(2), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2013.789198.
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RE: Discussion - Module 2
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Initial Post
After reviewing the relationship between healthy development of young children across all domains and annual assessments, the assessments have a tremendous impact on early childhood development programs offered in preschools and the early grades of primary schools. Some of these annual assessments require continuous observation, monitoring, and evaluating developmental and learning progress to allow an accurate annual assessment to be achieved. One specific tool that focuses on teacher-student interactions as the key to the learning progress is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) which is a proven assessment tool developed at the School Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning that allows an effective way to measure teacher-student interactions in the classroom and offer suggestions for improving these interactions across any age group or subject matter (University of Virginia/School of Education and Human Development, 2021). The CLASS tool involves four cycles of 15 minutes observations of teachers and students by a certified CLASS observer, and the interactions are rated using a manual of behaviors and responses (University of Virginia/School of Education and Human Development, 2021). This is an observational teacher-assessment tool that clarifies teachers’ behaviors to student gains and has proven to work in many classrooms from preschool to high school (University of Virginia/School of Education and Human Development, 2021).
Another important assessment tool is Teaching Strategies GOLD which is an ongoing observational system of children’s development in the context of everyday experience from birth through kindergarten based on 38 objectives for developmental learning that involve predictors of school success and grounded on school readiness standards (Teaching Strategies, 2021). The assessment areas involving these objectives include: physical, socio-emotional, language, literacy, cognitive, mathematics, social studies, science and technology, and arts development (Teaching Strategies, 2021). The assessment approach provides a more broad, meaningful interpretation of a young child’s whole development. The two examples of assessment tools demonstrate the rationale for their usage and applications to monitor children’s development and progress across all domains and also clarify the teacher’s behaviors and instructional styles to see what is working effectively in interacting with young learners. Research on the relationship between assessment tools and the healthy developmental and learning progress of young children show a clearer picture that can be drawn regarding the importance and value of the tools.
One area is young children developing and learning technical skills by interacting with electronic devices such as tablets and computers which is emphasized by the Teaching Strategies GOLD as the science and technologies learning domain. Herodotou (2018) conducted a systematic review of studies involving 2-5-year-olds interacting with electronic tablets across subject areas and found positive effects in literacy development, science, mathematics, problem solving, and self-efficacy which implies that developmental progress for children interacting with the tablets or any electronic device will be relevant and important to incorporate into ongoing, daily, and annual assessments for educators. Also, research indicates that young learners are experiencing positive effects from their interactions with the tablets. Teachers and educators need to assess and evaluate the interactions through measurable standards to allow progress and development to be tracked. One of the objectives of the Teaching Strategies GOLD is development in children using technological tools in their learning tasks (Teaching Strategies, 2021). Another study conducted by Margaret Burchinal, writing for Child Development and Perspectives, found that her most significant critique of high-quality early care and educational (EDC) programs is that more focus needs to be placed on teacher-student interactions and assessing these appropriately so that progress can be charted for both teacher and student in improving the quality of the interactions (Burchinal, 2018). The study demonstrates that assessment tools such as Teaching Strategies GOLD and CLASS which effectively measure the quality of teacher-student interactions are especially valuable. This is also supported by experience being an educator of young children and how the interactions between the educator and student learners is an area that requires professional assessment consistently to improve the quality of education for young learners. By having these assessment tools available and using them for purposes of improving teacher-student interactions can bring benefits for both teachers and students.
References
Burchinal, M. (2018). Measuring early care and education quality. Child Development Perspectives, 12(1), 3-9.
Herodotou, C. (2018). Young children and tablets: A systematic review of effects on learning and development. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 34(1), 1-9.
Teaching Strategies. 2021. Teaching Strategies GOLD Birth Through Kindergarten Touring Guide. Teaching Strategies - GOLD-Touring-Guide_5-2013.pdf (buffalo.edu)
University of Virginia/School of Education and Human Development. 2021. Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ | School of Education and Human Development | University of Virginia
RESPONSE 2
Sarwat Suraiya
RE: Discussion - Module 2
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Part 1
Healthy development and program evaluation are interrelated in all educational settings. As an EIP teacher for k-5th grades, I have to conduct a lot of assessments when deciding on a student's need for an EIP service. These assessments involve not only their test scores on a particular subject such as reading, but also other significant factors that influence their overall development, such as math, social, emotional, and physical developments. A team works on collecting these data for all of the domains related to the specific child’s overall development. To describe healthy development, Epstein (2003) stated that the primary purpose of early childhood programs is to promote healthy development in domains of children’s growth which are physical, intellectual, and social.
When K-12 No Child Left Behind Act initiative took place, all states implemented standards for education, and students are held accountable by being tested to see if they met those standards (Epstein, 2003). Early childhood settings are no exception as they are receiving funds. Governments and other public sectors who provide these funds and grants want to know how these grants and funds are being utilized with evidence (Epstein, 2003). The assessments provide this evidence. However, to evaluate a programs’ quality, the assessment scores alone cannot assure the quality of today’s early childhood programs. In recent years, as measuring the quality of a program is every early childhood professionals’ main goal, several initiatives have been put into place both federally and state-wide to expand access to high-quality early education programs. An objective for the program evaluation tool is essential to maintain a common language between the stakeholders about program quality and development (Epstein, 2003). High/Scope’s Preschool Program Quality Assessment, known as Preschool PQA, and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) are some valid tools to measure program quality. These tools are used to evaluate the quality of today’s early childhood programs and the required training for the staff.
References
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