2. Assessment
What is assessment? “the process of gathering information about
children from several forms of evidence, then organizing and interpreting that
information.” (McAFee, Leong, & Bodrova, 2004, p.3)
Purpose: via Assessment in Early Childhood Education, Sue C. Wortham, p.
3
Assessing to promote children’s learning and development
Identifying children for health and social services
Monitoring trends and evaluating programs and services
Assessing academic achievement to hold individual students, teachers, and
schools accountable (Shepard, Kagan, Lynn, & Wurtz, 1998).
3. Screening
What is a screening? followed by an assessment, a screening is to
help identify children at risk for failing to succeed in school and/or developmental
disorders or disabilities (Wortham, 2012, p. 14).
Purpose:
to identify health, developmental and/or other factors that may interfere with a
child's learning, growth and development.
4. Reliable, the extent to which the
assessment will provide consistent
information repeatedly.
Reliability answers the question: Is the
tool producing consistent information
across different circumstances?
Valid, the extent to which the
assessment tool measures what it
says it measures. Validity answers
the question: Is the tool assessing
what it is supposed to assess?
What Are Reliability and Validity
and Why Are They Important?
via Kentucky’s Early Childhood Continuous
Assessment Guide
5. for developmental screening, diagnostic evaluation, and
instructional planning.
to evaluate achievement by comparing groups of children
measure a child’s achievement on specific test objectives
combine elements within a classroom of informal teachers
assessment strategies, to observe behavior and other areas of
development that cannot be measured using a standardized test.
Types of Assessments:
6. Ways to
gather
information?
Assessment practices cover a
wide range of instruments and
techniques including structured
one-on-one child assessments,
standardized assessments,
portfolios, rating scales, and
observation.
A variety of assessment tools and
approaches, including rating
scales, checklists, norm-
referenced tests, portfolios, and
observations, can be used to
learn more about the child’s
strengths and challenges.
Reference: ELORS Teacher's Guide by
Margaret Gillis, Ph.D., Tracey West,
7. I have had the opportunity to interview four different individuals in order
to learn more about screening and assessment tools and how they
benefit the ever growing development in children. I conducted interviews
with four different individuals, three of which are from three different
professions, and then a parent interview. The roles in which these
individuals play make up the system in which children begin learning
from home to outside the home in an educational setting. These
professionals and parents bring together much knowledge and
experience in providing children with the opportunity to develop to the
best of their abilities and to assist them in areas in which they struggle.
Ultimately, working together for the success of a child.
9. Speech-language pathologists (SLP), sometimes called speech
therapists, assess, diagnose, treat and help to prevent disorders related
to speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing and
10. Ms. M is a licensed, credentialed and certified Speech-
language pathologist and has been working in her
profession for about a year now. She travels between
Beachwood Elementary school and Evergreen
Elementary school, here in Washington state. Working
with children from kindergarten to 5th grade. She is able
to determine their strengths and weaknesses through
listening to a child, assessing a child, or observing
children in their normal classroom setting.
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals—
Fourth Edition (CELF–4), a four-tiered model of
assessment. This tool is designed to assess the
presence of a language disorder or delay using a
comprehensive and flexible assessment approach.
Assessment Tool:
11. CELF–4
Is appropriate for children ages 5:0
to 21:11 years.
Can be administered to bilingual
students, but it may be necessary to
modify the administration.
Includes a four-level assessment
process in which the presence of a
language disorder can be
determined by calculating a Core
Language score using only four
subtests: morphology and syntax,
semantics, pragmatics, and
phonological awareness.
Screens receptive, expressive,
grammatical, and semantic skills.
12. Parent involvement:
M is able to provide
recommendations on further
therapy services, discuss rating
scale results with parents and
the student’s teacher, areas in
which need re-testing, and ways
in which to incorporate activities
in the classroom or at home.
Parents are essentially active
partners in their child’s ongoing
development together with the
Speech Therapist, teachers,
and other professionals.
14. Ms. D is a long time preschool teacher and has been teaching and working
for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Child Development Centers for
the last 17 years. She teaches Part-Day Preschool at Clarkmoor CDC,
along side an assistant teacher - Mr. E, this class is dedicated to a child’s
development and learning abilities. Their goal is to work with social-
emotional, language-literacy, and fine-gross motor skills in children. They
are essentially preparing these children for the next step into Strong
Beginnings. Strong Beginnings being a pre-k developed class there at
Clarkmoor. Between the quarterly CDC trainings, observations for her
trainings, and her holding a degree in Child Development. She has been
able to successfully administer assessments from her ongoing education
and certified trainings.
Assessment Tool:
The Teaching Strategies Gold for Early Childhood, is a
developmental assessment used to document the progress of children. The
particular tool that she uses is an ongoing type of assessment. Allowing her
the opportunity to assess a child during their regular activities on a regular
day. With a purpose to: observe and document children’s development and
learning over time, support, guide, and inform planning and instruction,
identify children who might benefit from special help, screening, or further
evaluation, and lastly report and communicate with family members and
other professionals.
15. Teaching Strategies Gold
This tool is available birth through
kindergarten.
This assessment is available in both
English and Spanish, for dual-
language learners.
Teaching Strategies, covers a total
of ten domains of development and
learning, which are further
composed of 38 objectives.
Concrete experiential learning
activities encompass the following
six domains: Social-Emotional,
Physical, Language, Literacy,
Cognitive, and Mathematics.
16. Parent Involvement:
The “Development and Learning Report” shares
information with family members by providing
a narrative for every objective or dimension. The
report helps family members understand their child’s
skills, knowledge, and behaviors, and it identifies
likely next steps in the child’s development and
learning.
Most times Ms. D does inform the parents on their
chid’s level. She finds it important to keep parents
informed, generally, on their child’s development or
areas of struggle. She also makes the effort to speak
with each parent at the end of class, just to let
parents know how their child did for the day.
17. ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program)
Head Start teacher
Early Childhood Educational Assistance Program (ECEAP), is a comprehensive program
including early childhood education, nutrition, parenting skills and health components.
18. Ms. F is a head start teacher, more specifically ECEAP (Early Childhood
Educational Assistance Program) and has been teaching for over 13 years. She
currently holds a degree in Early Childhood education. This classroom includes
Ms. F the head teacher, her assistant, and Ms. B a Social Worker/Family Support
Specialist - who is part of this class due to the nature of this particular program.
This program serves primarily four to five year olds from low-income families at
Evergreen Elementary School and other locations through out Washington. Ms. F
uses this tool as a placement tool to pre-test children and later a post-test to
determine progress made during the year. She can also choose to test in one area
as opposed to all areas to gather further information on a child or in areas of
concern. She had direct training in using this tool, to be qualified to administer it
correctly.
Assessment Tool:
Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning, Third
Edition(DIAL™-3), a norm-referenced screening tool. This tool is not only user
friendly, but provides teachers with a fun environment, is age appropriate, and
child-friendly.
19. DIAL-3
For children ages 3 to 6:11 years.
The DIAL-3 is available in English
and Spanish versions. It is not a
translated test and the development
of the Spanish edition is included in
the manual with statistics for sample
distributions for both English and
Spanish.
DIAL-3 measures children’s skills
across five major areas: motor,
concepts, self-help, social
development and language skills.
20. Parent Involvement:
Included in this assessment is a
Parent Questionnaire. This will
list a child’s health history,
background, self-help and social
development. Also, a Parent-
Child Activity Form to enhance
the child’s development in
motor, concepts, and language
skills. Allowing parents to
opportunity to continue with their
educational development
outside of school.
22. As a parent and having three children, we have a had the opportunity to frequent
pediatric doctor appointments - some for check-ups, others for one being sick. With
that on most occasions, I as their parent, have to fill out a parent questionnaire in
regards to their ongoing development. Recently I had to take my youngest to the
pediatrician for her 15 month check-up. I was to fill out a Denver Prescreening
Developmental Questionnaire II, 9-24 months, (PDQ-II), in regards to her current
development. This screening took about 10-15 minutes, give or take. I was to
acknowledge if my child had reached a certain milestone or was able to perform a
certain skill. What I come to realize, is that me assuming I have had no experience
in assessments, that in fact I have by completing these screenings on my children.
I was given simple instructions to fill it out, to the best of my abilities, about my child
and to stop when circled 3 NO’s, which did not have to be consecutive, or all front
and back have been answered.
Assessment Tool:
Denver Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire II, 9-24 months - the
age range I was recently given, (PDQ-II). A developmental screening. A scale
that may be used to determine if a child’s development is within normal range. This
is a 105 item parent answered questionnaire regarding his/her child's current level
of development.
23. Denver Prescreening Developmental Questionnaire II, 9-
24 months
Ages covered by the tests
range from birth to six years.
Available in English and
Spanish.
Screening for developmental,
sensory, motor, language,
social, cognitive, perceptual,
emotional skills and
behavioral concerns.
24. Parent Involvement:
Parents are the ones conducting
this screening in reference to their
child. I am to write my child’s name,
testing date, and birthdate on the
form, also who I am - the one
conducting the screening.
It is simple to follow and the Doctor
can further evaluate the child for
any concerns a parent may have in
regards to the questions answered.
The Doctor is also able to elaborate
on the screening itself and it’s
purpose. This tool is essentially
helping Doctor’s determine if a child
is developing normally.
25. Thoughts:
Assessments in young children hold the key in assisting
not only professionals, but parents as well. With
appropriate instructional decisions about how to best
understand and support children in their development, in
allowing them the ability to work towards their fullest
potential.
Assessments and screenings can identify learning skills,
behaviors, and other areas of development to adjust
educational objectives in supporting children as they
grow and develop.
