Summary of the Content
Chapter 12: “Observing, Recording, and Assessing” is about informing educators of the
importance of observing and record-keeping, and assessing the child. The focus is to collect data
and enable the curriculum preparation process, which implicates the generating project's stage
and delivers resources to evaluate, improve, or reorganize the child’s environment. It is also
critical that early childhood specialists must develop the skill of observing and obtain data. The
skill of observation refers to the competence of using all five senses to identify, evaluate and
remember what is happening in a specific setting. This ability is regularly correlated with
“mindfulness” because it inspires educators to be aware of the specifics (Gonzalez-Mena, 2020,
p. 335).
In addition, assessing the child is the method of assembling evidence of the child’s
knowledge. It refers to examining the child’s info and later using that data to strategize
instructive activities that match the level of the child so that they can comprehend the curriculum
and understand more (Gonzalez-Mena, 2020, p.345). Assessment is also the analytical segment
of the finest attribute, in an early childhood program. Early childhood experts should also
consider themselves to define whether they can teach the curriculum. A wide-ranging program
evaluation includes assessing a program in terminologies that the parents of the students and
their relatives could understand, and the school administrations follow their directive.
The recording/documentation aspect is the process of keeping track of the documents.
This is a precise phase because it keeps a record of happenings that might go unseen or appear
rare (Gonzalez-Mena, 2020, p. 336). The course of reexamining a sequence of records that are
taken during a long period can disclose unknown information. Recordings also assess the
efficiency of the child’s ecosystem because they can also support evaluating a child’s
performance and their intelligence as an individual as the whole classroom. An example of the
tools that early childhood experts use to document data involves “anecdotal records, running
record observations, incidents reports, journals, photographs, recordings (both audio and visual).
checklists, mappings, time samples, and portfolios” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2020, p. 337). Educators
use the expertise they obtain from those tools and dispose of short and long-term objectives for
the child’s education.
Discussion of NAEYC Standards Connection
The chapter is centered on recording, therefore, the NAEYC a program standard
that correlates with the reading is 4-assessment. The program’s focus is the approach of assessing
and delivering information that will enhance the child’s ability to learn and exceed
developmental milestones. According to the standard assessments, evaluations happen within the
environment of communal efforts of the educator, caregiver, and the child. Assessment scores are
an advantage to children because it advises teachers on precise program corrections of the
curriculum. Assessments also benefit educators to design suitable curricula and mold teachings
that represent the child’s potencies and prerequisites. In addition, assessments can also assist
instructors to distinguish children with “disabilities “and guarantee that they fulfill the
appropriate assistance. According to the text Foundation of Early Childhood, the author
verbalizes those educators “take what they learn as a resource for goal setting, for implementing
the teaching-learning process. Planning for development and learning entails making
opportunities for a variety of experiences, creating projects, providing resources, and analyzing,
adding to, and/or rearranging the environment” (Gonzalez-Mena, 2020, p. 331). An early
childhood platform’s focus is about creating a culture where the whole ecosystem of the child
learns and develops the skills to support the child. Across assessments, those services are
available.
Discussion of Viewpoints
The “points of view section” on page 346 portrays a concerned mother that is fixated on
the scores of her daughter’s assessments. According to her daughter’s assessment, she's behind
on multiple skill sets. The mother believes that the daughter lacks specific skills such as gross
motor development because she has never been a child who likes the outdoors. Therefore,
teachers have decided to strongly encourage her to play outside. Yet the mother believes that her
daughter’s teachers are focusing on the child's weaknesses rather than strengthening the skills
that the daughter does have. It is implied that the mother does not agree with the evaluation
process, and she also feels strongly about wanting to be involved with the report card
information that is given to her. Our tax informs educators that assessments revolve around the
entire ecosystem of the child, meaning the child's caregivers the child themselves, and their
environment. Therefore, the mother can speak with her daughter's teacher and express the way
that she feels so that the teacher can accommodate and re-evaluate the checklist of requirements.
Biblical Perspective
The Bible also offers examples that revolve around assessments. For example, 2 Timothy
3:16-17 lectures on the apostle Paul and how he taught the scriptures to bless the lives of others.
To do so, he is inspired by God and how God’s word consists of corrections and instructions of
righteousness. This could only be delivered unto the good works of evaluating our lives and
improving them and meeting the requirements of God’s expectations of us as his people. To live
a holy life that pleases him. In the same way, teachers evaluate children’s knowledge to meet the
requirement of their school-grade expectancies.
References:
Feeney, Stephanie. (2005). Ethics and the early childhood educator: using the NAEYC
Code. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2020). Foundation of Early Childhood.
New International Version Bible. (2011). You Version Online. https://www.youversion.com
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