CHAPTER 11 Communicating with Families Suzanne Clouzeau/Pearson Chapter Objectives As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Discuss characteristics of family-professional partnerships that promote children’s development and learning. 2. Explain strategies for establishing and maintaining family-professional partnerships that benefit children. 3. Describe strategies for conducting effective parent conferences. 4. Discuss the roles of families in screening and assessment. Parents are children’s first and most important teacher. As such, they have a critical role in their child’s development and learning. Teachers,administrators, and other early childhood providers understand that children’s success as learners depends on parents as well asprofessionals. The importance of having parents as partners in early childhood settings is essential to quality care and education (Dunst &Trivette, 2012; Schmidt & Matthews, 2013; Turnbull et al., 2006). Today’s children experience a variety of family relationships. Somechildren live with a single parent or with grandparents. Children may live in blended families where both parents had previous marriagesand children from the first and second marriages now live together as one family. Other children live in households with same-sex parents. Still others may live in households that include adults who function as caretakers but are not related. Therefore, the term families shouldacknowledge the expanded roles of parenting to include any persons that function as family in their daily lives. Throughout this book,information related to family partnerships during screening and assessment processes has been discussed. This chapter will be devoted tohow professionals can engage in meaningful partnerships with adults who serve in parenting roles for children, particularly during theassessment process. Strategies for communicating with families about children’s progress will be discussed, including planning and how toconduct effective family conferences. 11.1 Family-Professional Partnerships that Promote Children’s Development andLearning Parents have always actively participated in early-childhood settings such as child-care centers and schools. When the first author’s fatherwas an elementary school student in the early 20th century in Austin, Texas, mothers took turns going to the school to prepare lunch forthe children. Traditionally, parents helped with school parties and volunteered in the classroom. Parent–teacher organizations raised moneyto secure needed books, equipment, and other materials that were not in the school budget. Today, the idea of a partnership with parents goes beyond helping with school programs toward empowering and engaging families inmutually respectful interactions that benefit children. Fundamental to effective family-professional partnerships is the belief that theyshould be strengths-based (built on family resources and assets) and family-centered (led by family conce ...

1. CHAPTER 11 Communicating with Families
Suzanne Clouzeau/Pearson
Chapter Objectives
As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Discuss characteristics of family-
professional partnerships that promote children’s development a
nd learning.
2. Explain strategies for establishing and maintaining family-
professional partnerships that benefit children.
3. Describe strategies for conducting effective parent conferenc
es.
4. Discuss the roles of families in screening and assessment.
Parents are children’s first and most important teacher. As such,
they have a critical role in their child’s development and learni
ng. Teachers,administrators, and other early childhood provider
s understand that children’s success as learners depends on pare
nts as well asprofessionals. The importance of having parents as
partners in early childhood settings is essential to quality care
and education (Dunst &Trivette, 2012; Schmidt & Matthews, 20
13; Turnbull et al., 2006). Today’s children experience a variety
of family relationships. Somechildren live with a single parent
or with grandparents. Children may live in blended families whe
re both parents had previous marriagesand children from the firs
t and second marriages now live together as one family. Other c
hildren live in households with same-
sex parents. Still others may live in households that include adu
lts who function as caretakers but are not related. Therefore, the
term families shouldacknowledge the expanded roles of parenti
ng to include any persons that function as family in their daily l
ives. Throughout this book,information related to family partner
ships during screening and assessment processes has been discu
ssed. This chapter will be devoted tohow professionals can enga
ge in meaningful partnerships with adults who serve in parentin

2. g roles for children, particularly during theassessment process.
Strategies for communicating with families about children’s pro
gress will be discussed, including planning and how toconduct e
ffective family conferences.
11.1 Family-
Professional Partnerships that Promote Children’s Development
andLearning
Parents have always actively participated in early-
childhood settings such as child-
care centers and schools. When the first author’s fatherwas an el
ementary school student in the early 20th century in Austin, Tex
as, mothers took turns going to the school to prepare lunch forth
e children. Traditionally, parents helped with school parties and
volunteered in the classroom. Parent–
teacher organizations raised moneyto secure needed books, equi
pment, and other materials that were not in the school budget.
Today, the idea of a partnership with parents goes beyond helpi
ng with school programs toward empowering and engaging fami
lies inmutually respectful interactions that benefit children. Fun
damental to effective family-
professional partnerships is the belief that theyshould be strengt
hs-based (built on family resources and assets) and family-
centered (led by family concerns and priorities) (Dunst &Trivett
e, 2012). Turnbull et al. (2006) describe family-
professional partnerships as relationships in which families (not
just parents) andprofessionals build on each other’s expertise a
nd resources so decisions will benefit children as well as their p
artnership. They suggestpartnerships that support children’s wel
l-
being and are achieved by applying the following seven principl
es:
• Communication—
ongoing, honest interactions using methods agreed on by both th
e parents and the professionals
• Professional Competence—well-
trained professionals committed to lifelong learning and who ha

3. ve expectations for children
• Respect—
regarding each other in high esteem and interactions that promot
e honesty and dignity
• Commitment—
being accessible and sensitive to the needs of families
• Equality—shared power and decision making
• Advocacy—
forming alliances based on identified needs and taking action to
address them
• Trust—the keystone of strong family-professional partnerships
Numerous professional organizations have published position pa
pers and guidelines that help educators understand essentialchar
acteristics of effective family-
professional partnerships. For example, the NAEYC Standards f
or Early Childhood Professional Preparationdescribes professio
nal standards for early childhood professionals (NAEYC, 2009).
The purpose of these standards is to provide guidancefor profes
sionals that reflect the values of inclusive, high-
quality early childhood services. Standard 2, Building Family a
nd CommunityRelationships, describes elements of strong famil
y-professional partnerships as follows:
Parents and teachers are partners in the learning and assessment
of youngchildren.
David Kostelnik/Pearson
2a: Knowing about and understanding diverse family and comm
unity characteristics
2b: Supporting and engaging families and communities through
respectful, reciprocal relationships
2c: Involving families and communities in their children’s devel
opment and learning (p. 12)
Other professional organizations have published guidelines for e
stablishing and maintaining family-
professional partnerships that reflectthe diversity of families. F
or example, the Division of Early Childhood/Council for Except

4. ional Children (DEC, 2010) published a positionpaper entitled R
esponsiveness to ALL Children, Families, and Professionals: Int
egrating Cultural and Linguistic Diversity into Policy and Practi
ce,which provides information about ways to establish and main
tain effective family-
professional partnerships with diverse families, especiallythose
who have children with disabilities and families from culturally
and linguistically diverse families.
In addition, as early learning standards have become an expecte
d aspect of young children’s education, national and state organ
izationshave stressed the importance of family partnerships. For
example, a joint position statement on early learning standards
developed by theNational Association for Young Children and t
he National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State
Departments of Education(2002) describes four conditions need
ed in the development and implementation of early learning stan
dards. The fourth conditionemphasizes the importance of family
-
professional partnerships: “Early learning standards will have th
e most positive effects if families—
keypartners in young children’s learning—
are provided with respectful communication and support” (p. 8).
This position statement and itscontent are supported by the Nat
ional Association of Elementary School Principals and other pro
minent organizations as a unified effort toguide the field toward
quality and developmentally appropriate content in standards, i
ncluding the important role of families.
11.2 Strategies for Establishing and Maintaining Family–
Professional Partnerships thatBenefit Children
Establishing Relationships with Families
The importance of a strong partnership with families becomes m
ore evident as we learn more about how children benefit from a
strongteacher–
parent relationship. All parties in the partnership have an equal

5. role. The quality of the partnership affects the child’s security a
ndmaximizes the child’s potential for learning. This quality part
nership includes frequent two-
way communications, interest in each other’sperspectives, and a
cceptance of the views of the other partner. The partnership gro
ws through mutual consultation both on daily activitiesand impo
rtant decisions. It requires working through differences with mu
tual respect (Keyser, 2006; Lightfoot, 2003).
Building Bridges with Families of Infants and Toddlers
In 2014, more than 11 million children of working mothers who
were younger than age 5 participated in child care (Child Care
Awareof America, 2014). Thirty-
eight percent of the children who participate in child care are in
fants and toddlers (Schmitt & Matthews, 2013). These children
spend on average 36 hours a week in child care and often partici
pate in multiple placements. Thus, for manyfamilies, the partner
ship between educational settings and the home begins when the
ir children are infants and toddlers. Thedevelopment of relations
hips between the home and facilities or schools is initiated whe
n the child is transitioned from home to acenter or other care an
d/or educational setting. The development of trust and positive,
consistent caregiving are important indeveloping bonds between
the caregiver and the child and the caregiver and the parents. E
ach day the child and family adults gothrough emotions related t
o separation when the child is left in the caregiving setting and t
hen another adjustment when they areunited at the end of the da
y. Caregivers and other center personnel who show sensitivity a
nd understanding of unique familycharacteristics and cultural di
fferences can facilitate the daily transitions and ongoing interac
tions with the child and family. Families ofbabies have the same
needs for support and communication regarding their child as f
amilies of older children in school settings;however, the needs f
or daily communication and exchange of information about the
child are even more crucial for young children.
The expanded nature of parenting also includes an understandin
g of diversity. Family members and professionals from a variety

6. ofcultures, ethnicities, family structures, and levels of income c
an enrich partnerships. A variety of languages may be spoken, a
nd familiesmight have different views from professionals on ho
w children should be raised. This means that all parties (e.g., sc
hools, centers, servicesproviders, parents) must learn about each
other, both at school and at home. Families need to learn about
the school culture and how theirchild fits into a group of divers
e children. Likewise, professionals must understand each child’s
family cultural practices and seek ways toincorporate them in t
he early childhood setting (Keyser, 2006).
Parents and teachers are not the only beneficiaries of a strong,
mutually respectful partnership. Children benefit the most! Whe
n parentsand other significant adults in their life have a positive
relationship with teachers and other education professionals, ch
ildren feel that theyand their family are honored and respected.
The better the relationship, the more children feel that they, too,
can have a trustingrelationship with the teacher. They learn ho
w to conduct social relationships by watching adult relationship
s. They notice all the nuances ofspoken language, body languag
e, and tone of voice that the adults use. They use these positive
models to develop their own relationshipswith others (Keyser, 2
006). Informal and formal communication processes as well as h
ome visits are effective methods for establishingpositive family-
professional partnerships.
Ongoing Communications
Continuing conversations and other forms of communication are
an important step in establishing a partnership. At times, the te
acherinitiates the communication, but at other times the parent i
nitiates the contact. Families have different ways to engage in t
he partnership.The continuum from relationship to partnership i
s different from family to family. The teacher needs to be sensit
ive to how best tocommunicate with families. Written newslette
rs to parents may not be effective if the parents speak another la
nguage and the writtenmaterials are not in the parents’ home lan
guage, for example. Parents may also be very intimidated by req
uests for them to giveinformation through written notes. Care sh

7. ould be taken, however, to make sure parents who speak a langu
age other than English can readin their home language. The first
author’s years as a teacher of children from Spanish-
speaking families provides another example of howto be sensiti
ve to parents. The principal decided that all newsletters and info
rmation sheets would be communicated in both English andSpan
ish. It took some reflection and awkward interactions before it
was understood that the Spanish-
speaking families in the schoolcommunity could not read in Spa
nish either. Patience and goodwill are necessary for both familie
s and teachers as partnerships develop,especially if there are ext
enuating circumstances, such as language differences, that may
be challenging.
Today, technological advances can be used to enhance communi
cation between parents and educational settings. For example, t
he teachercan establish a classroom website where information c
an be shared and ideas exchanged. Photographs and videos of cl
ass work can beposted and opportunities for family comments pr
ovided. E-
mails to individual families can replace notes with families who
have access to acomputer. Other families without computers ca
n continue to exchange written notes with the teacher. Cell phon
e calls can includephotographs of the child at school and possibl
y text messages to keep families informed. The messages can in
clude anecdotes about thechild’s experiences at school, new acc
omplishments, or newly developed social skills (Mitchell, Foulg
er, & Wetzel, 2009).
Home Visits
One of the most effective ways to establish a relationship with a
child and the family is to make a home visit before the child be
ginsattending the center or school. When the teacher visits the h
ome environment, a context for understanding the child and fam
ily isestablished. As young teachers, we made home visits at the
beginning of every school year. It was very educational to learn
how and wherethe children in our classrooms lived. The first au

8. thor taught in a bilingual program; as a result, most of the child
ren in the classroom wereHispanic. Many children were from fa
milies of migrant workers. A majority of families she visited ha
d a very low income. One family livedout of two cars several mi
les from the school bus route. The children were dressed and rea
dy to leave by 5 a.m. so that they could walk withtheir older sib
lings to the bus stop. In the afternoons, it was almost dark befor
e they reached home again. Another family lived very nearthe sc
hool, but in a very old wood frame house with bare wood floors.
The mother got water from the tap outside for cooking and clea
ning.She had a history of being abused and beaten by her husba
nd. When the first author visited, the house was very clean, and
the motherproudly showed her the room where three of the girls
shared a double bed. Later in the year, when the child from that
family in herclassroom appeared at school with a broken arm, th
e school nurse was notified to work with child welfare authoriti
es to investigate andassist the mother, if needed. The families w
ere pleased that the teacher came to their home. The children we
re always dressed in their bestclothes and on their best behavior
. Family pictures, the children’s toys, and the plants in the yard
were often topics of conversation. Theseinitial visits were vital
to the parents’ feeling comfortable with the teacher, especially s
ince she spoke Spanish, and the parents were able toovercome t
heir hesitations to come to the school for meetings and conferen
ces. Many times parent conferences were conducted at aparent’s
place of work because they could not leave their job or did not
have transportation to the school. Home visits continued in som
esituations when the family or the teacher needed support from t
he other.
In conclusion, home visits are an effective way to begin and mai
ntain family-
professional partnerships as they provide authenticexperiences f
or both the family members and teachers or other professionals.
Ongoing communication strategies can grow out of theseexperie
nces or other avenues of learning about the types of communicat
ion that work best for families.

9. Using Professional Ethics in School–Family Partnerships
Teachers are responsible for maintaining professionalism in thei
r relationships with parents. Guidelines for teachers are provide
d byprofessional education organizations. The Code of Ethical
Conduct was first published by the National Association for the
Education ofYoung Children in 1989, and most recently updated
in 2011 (NAEYC, 2011). The code provides guidelines for prof
essional behavior forteachers and caregivers of young children.
It describes categories of ethics that provide a framework for ho
w teachers should interact intheir positions in early childhood s
ettings. Throughout this Code of Ethics it is stressed that profes
sional ethics includes responsibilities forchildren, families, com
munities, and society. The descriptions discuss that professional
ethical judgments guide educators as to what theyshould and sh
ould not do as professionals. Section II of the Code is dedicated
to ethical partnerships with families. The code of ethics is adoc
ument that permits the profession to speak as a group. The hope
for the future is that the code can be used not only as a basis for
advocacy addressing the needs of young children and their famil
ies, but also to help early childhood educators to focus on what
is best forall young children and their families (Feeney, 2010).
Assessment Roles of Families of Children with Disabilities
When parents discover that their infant, toddler, or young child
has a delay or disability, they soon understand the important rol
e ofassessment in the child’s life. They experience conflicting e
motions about what the assessment will reveal. One mother desc
ribed herreaction (Rocco, 1996):
When assessments emphasize deficits and diminished expectatio
ns for future success, we parents generally begin to look for aw
ay to thwart these negative prognostications. At the very best, w
e want a miracle cure. At the least, we want professionals to“fix
” our children…. We believe that professionals have all the ans
wers, and therefore, all the power. (p. 56)
After parents experience the first stages of screening and diagno
sis, they find they have a major role in assessing what the child
needs andparticipate in planning for the child. Once their child

10. has been evaluated and determined eligible for services, the ong
oing assessment andintervention process centers on the family a
s well as the child, especially in the early intervention program,
Part C of IDEA, for infants andtoddlers. The extent of the famil
y’s involvement affects the child’s performance and the relevan
ce of the child’s assessment in guidingintervention services (Be
rman & Shaw, 1996; Dunst & Trivette, 2012; Ray, Pewitt-
Kinder, & George, 2009). Dunst and Trivette (2012)describe the
assessment process as family-directed or family-
centered, with the child and family’s concerns, priorities, resour
ces, and valuesthe most important in planning for the child. The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 20
04 (IDEA, 2004) requiresthat families be a team member and pa
rtner in the assessment, decision-
making, and activities planned for addressing the child’s needs (
U.S.Congress, 2004). Conferences with families who have a chil
d with a disability are more complex than the common understa
nding of parent–
teacher conferences. An Individualized Family Service Plan (IF
SP) is developed specifically for children and families participa
ting in theEarly Intervention Program (Part C of IDEA 2004). A
team of intervention providers that might include therapists, ea
rly interventionspecialists, teachers, and family members are in
volved in both planning for the family and child’s needs and lat
er assessing progress on theIFSP with the family (Ray, Pewitt-
Kinder, & George, 2009).
Involving All Parents in the Assessment Process
Practices established for parents of children with disabilities inv
olve parents in the assessment process used with all children. H
ome visitswith parents before the beginning of school can initiat
e the process of gathering information about the child. Thereaft
er, parents canparticipate in the assessment process through the
teacher’s ongoing efforts to solicit information from parents, pa
rticipating in conferenceswhen the child’s progress is reported,
and contributing information about the child’s progress within t
he conference, through writtenresponses submitted to the teache

11. r and by telephone or e-
mail messages (Gilkerson & Hanson, 2000).
All the assessment strategies discussed in this text apply to chil
dren with disabilities. Some types of assessments may have to b
e modified,especially for children who have a cognitive delay or
physical disability. Nevertheless, children with disabilities sho
uld not be excluded fromperformance assessments and portfolio
s. These children should have ongoing opportunities to demonst
rate what they understand and canuse. Teachers and parents will
need to be creative in finding ways for children to engage in th
eir own assessment if they are unable toparticipate in the same
manner as children without disabilities. Computers and other ty
pes of assistive technologies can be used, as well asphotographs
, videotapes, and audiotapes. The important point is that childre
n with disabilities should be included in the assessment andplan
ning process to the best of their abilities. Bridging their disabili
ties with alternative assessment strategies will complete their in
clusionas full members of the classroom (Jarrett, Browne, & Wa
llin, 2006; McLean, Wolery, & Bailey, 2004; Zero to Three, 201
0).
Parent Partnership in Portfolio Assessment
The principal, teachers, and parents at Thomas Jefferson Kinder
garten and Primary School discussed portfolio assessment at sch
oolcouncil meetings for several months. Teachers and a principa
l from a school in a nearby community were invited to attend th
e councilmeeting and talk about their experiences in starting por
tfolio assessment. In April, the council decided to implement po
rtfolios thefollowing year. As training sessions were held for th
e teachers at the end of the school year, newsletters were sent to
parents informingthem of the change in reporting using portfoli
os and of evening sessions that would be held to share how the t
eachers were preparingfor using portfolios.
During the summer months, teacher training continued. At the b
eginning of the school year, an open house was held to further e
xplainhow the portfolio process would be used and the rationale
for moving to this type of assessment and reporting. Following

12. a generalmeeting in the multipurpose room of the school, parent
s visited their child’s classroom, where the teacher showed a mo
del of theportfolio that would be used in the classroom and how
parents could contribute to the information that would be includ
ed in theportfolio. Questions about the portfolio assessment pro
cess were answered.
At the first parent–
teacher conferences, portfolio assessment to report student prog
ress was used for the first time. Parents wereinvited to reflect o
n what the child had accomplished. In some classrooms, the chil
d participated in the conference and discussed whysome entries
were important. Following review of the portfolios, both the par
ents and teacher discussed how to plan for the child’slearning e
xperiences based on the progress made during the first part of th
e school year.
Some teachers found the move to the portfolio process easier th
an others. Likewise, some parents understood and supportedport
folio assessment more quickly than others. The principal provid
ed troubleshooting sessions for teachers, and the school council
discussed how to continue to improve the process.
11.3 Conducting Effective Parent Conferences
Whatever approaches a teacher uses to assess children, a report
is made to communicate with the parents about the child’s devel
opmentaladvances and learning accomplishments. The assessme
nts that have been made are evaluated to determine what will be
in the report.Families are given the opportunity to share their i
deas about the child’s growth and progress and to respond to the
report that the teacherhas developed. Although written reports
and portfolios are helpful assessment systems to use when shari
ng information with families,conferences permit families and te
achers to interact directly. In the following sections, parent conf
erences will be discussed, including howto prepare for and cond
uct conferences.
Types of Parent Conferences
In addition to traditional teacher-
led conferences, other options for conducting parent conference

13. s include three-way conferences, student-
led conferences, and parent group meeting conferences. Each of
these types of conferences are described in the following sectio
n.
Three-Way Conferences
In the three-
way conference, the student, parent, and teacher all participate.
The student has an opportunity to present and discuss his orher
work through a portfolio, the parent has an opportunity to introd
uce relevant information about the child’s progress, and the teac
herhas the opportunity to summarize what has been accomplishe
d during the time period. All participants plan together for futur
e goals,projects, and general learning. All participants discuss h
ow the home and the school can work together to accomplish th
e child’s learninggoals.
Student-Led Conferences
Students can be taught to conduct a conference with the family (
Cromwell, 2010). Using a showcase or evaluative portfolio, the
student andparent study portfolio contents and discuss the stude
nt’s work. The teacher can join the conference later and answer
questions the parentmight have or elicit the family’s ideas for th
e child’s further progress (Stiggins, 2005). Regardless of the ap
proach to be used for the parentconference, the conference shou
ld follow the assumption that families are partners in the proces
s:
The inclusion of families in the overall assessment is critically i
mportant. They need to be involved in more than just the finalst
age of the process if they are to see all the skills and strategies t
hat their children are developing and to assist their childrenalon
g the way.
Family involvement with portfolios can take many forms, includ
ing holding three-
way conferences that include students, teachers, andparents. Par
ents may also respond in writing to the work in the portfolio. Th
ey can complete a questionnaire about their perceptions of thest
udent’s work and provide examples they think are indicative of

14. growth (Lescher, 1995, p. 28).
Parent Group Meeting Conferences
When circumstances do not permit conferences with individual f
amilies, a group conference for all parents might be considered.
In this typeof conference, the teacher spends time explaining to
all the parents the assessments that have been used, the nature o
f those assessments,and information on projects or thematic stud
y topics. Classroom documentation in various forms is explaine
d and parents are invited tospend time looking at them. The teac
her can make opportunities for individual questions and for pare
nts with concerns to stay after thegroup meeting to discuss these
with the teacher. Arrangements might be made for individual p
hone calls or other communications whenneeded to discuss futur
e questions or issues.
Preparing for Family Conferences
The teacher or other professional must prepare the information t
hat is to be shared prior to conducting a conference with a famil
y. Some ofthe information should involve input from parents an
d the child. As part of the preparation, the teacher selects the as
sessments that will beused for reporting progress and develops a
profile or some type of encapsulation that summarizes the child
’s evidence of development andlearning.
Selecting Options for Reporting Progress
If the teacher uses portfolio assessment, the process of preparin
g the portfolio contents for the child’s evaluation becomes the v
ehicle forreporting. If a portfolio is not used, the teacher gather
s and organizes examples of the child’s work, assessments that
have been conducted,and some type of report on the child’s eval
uation that has been determined by the teacher.
Developing a Profile for the Child Using Assessment Results
Portfolios include assessment results and other evidence of the c
hild’s work that permit an evaluation to take place. Materials in
theportfolio, when combined with a narrative report, provide a p
rofile of progress. A profile can also be developed using checkli
stassessments, samples of the child’s work, and a summary repo
rt, as in The Work Sampling System, 5th Edition (Meisels, Mars

15. den, Jablon, &Dichtelmiller, 2014), and the checklist and anecd
otal records used in the Preschool Child Observation Record (C
OR) (High/ScopeEducational Research Foundation, 2003). Give
n the many types of assessments and record-
keeping strategies described in earlier chapters,the teacher has a
variety of ways to organize assessment and evaluation into a co
mprehensive profile of the child to share with parents.This repo
rt may also include the results of standardized tests in the prima
ry grades.
Considering Individual Family Backgrounds and Needs
As the teacher prepares for the conference with the parents, the
backgrounds, concerns, priorities, resources, and needs of paren
ts areconsidered. Parents must feel comfortable and relaxed whe
n they come for the conference. A trained interpreter should be
provided forparents who speak a language other than English. T
he environment for the conference should be welcoming. Some t
eachers providerefreshments and decorate the area with flowers
and student work.
When preparing for a conference, the teacher must consider the
diverse backgrounds of the children also. The children may com
e fromdifferent religions, cultures, languages, and family practi
ces. For example, in some cultures the father takes the lead in p
articipating in theconference, with the mother taking a secondar
y role. In other cultures, especially traditional American groups,
both parents participateequally, or the mother takes the lead.
If language is an issue, provisions should be made for a trained
interpreter to assist with the meeting, if the teacher does not spe
ak thehome language of the family. In the event of families spea
king several different languages, trained interpreters who speak
both languagesmight facilitate the conference conversations. It i
s important to have trained interpreters who understand that thei
r role is to serve as aconduit for delivering information from the
teacher, parent, student, or other person involved in the confere
nce without judgment orprejudice. Avoid asking a friend, family
member, or other person who is not a professional interpreter.
The American Speech-Language-

16. Hearing Association (ASHA, 2014) recommends the following c
onsiderations when selecting an interpreter to assist with assess
ment:
• Determine the interpreter’s level of proficiency in English and
in the home language used by the child and family
• Examine the interpreter’s educational background and experie
nce
• Determine the interpreter’s communication style to ensure it w
ill work with that of the teacher, child, and parents
• Try to use the same interpreter for multiple assignments so tha
t you may establish an effective working relationship
Additional tips for using an interpreter effectively before, durin
g, and after the conference can be found on the ASHA website.
Sometimes parents are intimidated by the teacher and other prof
essionals and are uncomfortable attending a conference at the sc
hool.Parents may feel inadequate or have bad memories from th
eir own school experiences. Teachers need to be very sensitive t
o thesesituations and be ready to help these parents feel welcom
e and appreciated (Kersey & Masterson, 2009).
Another factor to consider is parental awareness of how assessm
ents are conducted and interpreted, particularly in the case ofsta
ndardized test results. Some families may be very familiar and c
omfortable in understanding the meaning of different terms used
instandardized test reports. Others may be totally bewildered w
hen a child’s test profile is discussed. The teacher will want to
vary how thesetests are discussed and what explanations might
be necessary. Standardized tests and test reports were discussed
in Chapters 3 and 4. Theteacher will want to understand test rep
orts and how to interpret them to parents from diverse backgrou
nds.
Conducting Family Conferences
Once the parents or other family representatives have arrived an
d the conference is ready to begin, the teacher keeps three guide
lines inmind when conducting a successful experience for the pa
rents and child, if the child is to participate, including: (1) helpi
ng parentsunderstand evaluation information, (2) helping parent

17. s interpret evaluation information accurately, and (3) soliciting
parental and childinput for assessment and planning for the chil
d. If standardized test results are used, these guidelines are espe
cially important.
Steps in Preparing to Conduct Conferences with Families
The teacher can also think through best strategies that will ensu
re a positive conference result. Following are some measures te
achers taketo conduct successful conferences:
• Start and end on a positive note. It was mentioned earlier that
parents should feel welcomed by the teacher. The teacher can sh
are thechild’s strengths and examples of the child’s positive exp
eriences at school.
• Encourage parents to share information about their child. Earl
y in the conference, parents are asked about their child. The tea
cher mayask questions about how the child and family interact a
t home. The objective is to have the parents take the lead in the
discussion abouttheir child.
• Discuss relevant information about the child’s progress. Impor
tant information about the child’s accomplishments is discussed
with theparents, using portfolio examples, various assessments,
and standardized test results, when appropriate. Parents are incl
uded in thediscussion throughout this part of the conference. Th
eir questions are answered, and the teacher asks questions to ext
end theinformation.
• Discuss the child’s needs or issues about progress. Difficulties
the child might be experiencing at school are discussed objecti
vely. Theteacher focuses on the most important difficulties that
a child might be experiencing. The teacher asks the parents for
help inaddressing the child’s needs. The parents and teacher dis
cuss how they might help the child. The teacher asks the parents
forsuggestions about how the child might be better helped in sc
hool. If possible, the parents and teacher set a plan for the child
to beaddressed in a follow-
up conference or other communication (Kersey & Masterson, 20
09).
• End the conference on a positive note. The teacher closes the c

18. onference by again focusing on the child’s positive attributes. T
he teacherthanks the parents for attending and being helpful in p
roviding needed information. The teacher stresses that the famil
y-
professionalrelationship is a partnership to further positive feeli
ngs with parents or family representatives.
Helping Parents Interpret Evaluation Information
When parents encounter a collection of work examples of the ch
ildren and teacher assessments that form the basis for a child’s e
valuation,they may feel a bit overwhelmed when they compare t
his type of reporting with a report card. If the teacher and schoo
l have prepared theparents for the use of portfolios and perform
ance assessments, they will appreciate understanding how the m
aterials they are seeing forma picture of what the child has learn
ed; nevertheless, they are likely to have questions about assess
ments and the meaning of the child’swork. The teacher needs to
be prepared to volunteer information about the assessment strate
gies used and why the collection of the child’swork provides evi
dence of learning.
11.4 Role of Parents in the Screening and Assessment Process
Parents may have questions such as the following: How are chec
klist assessments conducted? What strategies does the teacher u
se toacquire checklist information? Why are observation reports
important? What does the teacher learn about the child by doin
g observations?What do the summaries of the child’s advances a
nd accomplishments mean when compared with a traditional rep
ort card? How does arubric work? How does the teacher design
written tests for primary-
grade children? The teacher should be able to explain during the
conference how and why assessments are used so that parents un
derstand the assessment process. Parents will vary in how theyu
nderstand technical information. The teacher needs to be prepar
ed to help interpret assessment results with individual families.
The same is true of assessment materials shared at the parent–
teacher conference. One method of summarizing the child’s pro

19. gress andoverall evaluation is to have a summary report or narra
tive report for the parents. The teacher goes over the report with
the parents,helping them understand the relationship between th
e assessment resources and the child’s overall evaluation. If a s
ummary report is notused, the teacher must have an overall eval
uation ready to share with the parents. The assessments and wor
k samples must be explained,with their implications for the chil
d’s progress and future needs for instructional experiences.
A Group Conference for a Child with ADHD
Miles Clark is a third-
grade child who was identified as having ADHD in the first gra
de. He was evaluated and received specialeducation classificatio
n at that time. He has received the help of a resource teacher for
the past 2 years. The purpose of the conferenceis to determine
how Miles should be served as he moves to fourth grade. The co
nference includes Miles’s parents, his grandmother, theregular c
lassroom teacher, the school counselor, the resource teacher, an
d the principal. The conference has been called at the requestof
Miles’s mother, who is concerned about the possible end of serv
ices by the resource teacher.
Each member of the teaching and support staff presents an asses
sment of Miles’s progress. At the end of each presentation, thep
arents and other members of the group are invited to comment o
r ask questions. The classroom teacher and resource teacherpres
ent examples of work that Miles has been able to complete on hi
s own, without assistance. Each member of the group is askedab
out Miles’s ability to work independently, without a resource te
acher to assist with assignments. School staff members believe t
hattheir plan to transition Miles to working without assistance i
s showing good progress. Miles’s mother is not convinced and i
nsists thatMiles is entitled to the continued services of the resou
rce teacher because of his designation as having ADHD.
At the end of the conference, each member of the conference gr
oup summarizes his or her current assessment of Miles and what
future planning is appropriate for his continued progress. The sc
hool counselor summarizes the events of the conference and ask

20. s theparents for their assessment. Miles’s mother strongly suppo
rts the continuation of assistance for Miles. The school staff rel
uctantlyagree to continue the use of the resource teacher during
the next school year.
Soliciting Parental Input for Assessment and Planning
Opportunities for parental input into the assessment and plannin
g process should be built into the conference. If parents do not
voluntarilyreflect on the child’s progress and make suggestions,
the teacher should be ready to solicit input. As the teacher com
pletes the evaluationreport, parents can give their own views ab
out progress and concerns they might have about the child. The
child also discusses progressand how learning might be improve
d. As the teacher discusses the next steps in planning for the chi
ld, parents can give their suggestions ofwhat might be helpful fo
r the child. Also, the teacher and parents can discuss what the p
arents might do to help the child at home. Theimportant point is
that parents and children need to feel that they are a vital part o
f the evaluation process and not mere recipients of theevaluatio
n report. Although the teacher may need to discuss improvement
s that the child needs to make, parents should also beencouraged
to look at problems and suggest solutions. If a true partnership
has been established, parents will be able to address the child’s
needs and help plan ways to guide the child without feeling that
they are being judged.
Summary
Assessment in early childhood education includes opportunities
and challenges. Many of the issues that developed during the lat
terdecades of the 20th century persist at the beginning of the 21
st century. The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act
and theCommon Core State Standards presented their own chall
enges.
Assessment of young children that evolved during the 20th cent
ury has broadened and intensified over the decades, as more has
beenlearned about how young children develop and learn and h
ow variances in development and culture may cause young child

21. ren toencounter difficulties when they enter school. Tests and m
easures to assess young children have been developed for childr
en who needintervention services and preschool programs to enh
ance their academic success when they enter the primary grades.
The development and use of a variety of approaches for the asse
ssment of children in the early childhood years has not come wit
houtproblems. Because of the nature and rapidity of developmen
t of young children, it is difficult to design measures that are de
pendable andthat accurately measure personal characteristics an
d other needed information. Each kind of measure designed for
use with young childrenhas pluses and minuses. Users of each t
ype of assessment must be informed about the strengths and limi
tations of the strategies they planto use. With young children es
pecially, a combination of assessment approaches, rather than a
single instrument or method, is indicated.
As school reform decisions increase the use of testing of presch
ool and primary-
grade children for placement, promotion, and retention,teachers
increasingly believe that they are accountable for their role in th
e decisions made about their students. If they disagree with theg
rading procedures they are required to use, for example, do they
have a responsibility to voice their concern? When they have re
search-
based information that an instrument is being used for the wron
g purpose or lacks reliability, should they inform the personnel
whoselected the tests? Should teachers press for alternative met
hods of assessment that include informal strategies and perform
anceassessments? Do school policies prohibit any variation in h
ow children are assessed? Parents want teachers to explain the u
se ofperformance assessments and changes in student progress r
eports that accompany the use of these assessments. Teachers w
ant parents tohave input when the decision is made to move to t
his type of assessment and the use of portfolios, rather than rep
ort cards. In addition,teachers want to be confident that they ha
ve the skills to use and interpret assessment results with parents
.

22. No crystal ball reveals future trends in measuring young childre
n. Demands for accountability and increases in learning achieve
mentcurrently drive curriculum and assessment. School reform,
which is a national phenomenon, will continue to affect early ch
ildhoodeducation. As the importance of the early years is again
being emphasized, the school reform movement continues to for
ce restrictiveparameters on the education of young children. The
push for quality early childhood programs conflicts with efforts
to raise academicstandards. And, as the makeup of early childh
ood classrooms changes to reflect the presence of more children
with disabilities and diversebackgrounds and languages, compe
tence in selecting and using appropriate types of assessments as
sumes even more importance.Decisions about educational practi
ces are often political rather than educational. As different force
s affect representation in Congress,policies can change.
The issues that surround the assessment of young children will
not be resolved soon. If present trends continue, improvement in
methodsof assessment of young children will continue in the ef
fort to improve their potential for optimal development and lear
ning. The ongoingimprovement in assessment methods should h
ave a positive effect on the quality of early childhood programs
and services as well.
Key Terms
Family-centered 268
Parent conferences 275
Family-professional partnerships 268
Parent group meeting conferences 275
Strengths-based 268
Student-led conferences 275
Three-way conferences 275
Selected Organizations
Search for the following organizations online:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Beach Center on Disability
Center for Law and Social Policy
Child Care Aware of America

23. National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE
)
Parent Teacher Association
TeacherVision
Wrightslaw
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