Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning / Edition 5

by Oralie McAfee, Deborah J. Leong

Overview

This comprehensive guide to assessment in early childhood curriculum continues to provide the most current research and practical guides to integrate authentic assessment with effective teaching. This book shows assessment as a process teachers can use in their personal classrooms. By using the latest procedures - portfolios, standards, benchmarks, rubrics, and reproducible forms - the third edition is unique in its offerings. This book also includes guides for interpreting and using assessment information once it has been collected. These guides are based on the most current research about how young children learn. It also includes constructivist approaches, as well as cultural and individual differences. For early childhood teachers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780137041275
Publisher:	Pearson
Publication date:	02/12/2010
Series:	Pearson Custom Education Series
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Oralie McAfee is professor emerita of early childhood education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is the author of books, research papers, articles, curriculum and teacher-training materials, and other publications related to working with young children and their families in the classroom and home, and has presented on these topics throughout the United States. She has done research on assessment practices and needs in Head Start and in selected state-funded prekindergarten programs. She is author (with Deborah J. Leong and Elena Bodrova) of Basics of Assessment: A Primer for Early Childhood Educators (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2004).

Deborah J. Leong is a professor emerita of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver and co-founder and Executive Director of the Tools of the Mind Curriculum Project, a Vygotskian-based early childhood teacher-training program. She is also a research fellow at the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). She is co-author with Dr.s McAfee and Bodrova of Basics of Assessment (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2004). Dr. Leong is also co-author with Dr. Bodrova of Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education (Merrill/Prentice Hall, 1996) and four educational videos (Davidson Films). She and Dr. Bodrova have written many articles on assessment, play, early literacy, and the development of self-regulation in young children.

Elena Bodrova is a senior researcher at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) in Denver, Colorado. Prior to her coming to the United States, she was a senior researcher at the Russian Center for Educational Innovations and the Russian Institute for Preschool Education. She received her Ph.D. from the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Moscow, Russia, and her M.A. from Moscow State University. In addition to her work with Dr. Leong, she co-authored the book, For the Love of Words: Vocabulary Instruction That Works, Grades K-6 (Jossey-Bass) with Diane E. Paynter and Jane K. Doty.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xv
Part I	Professionalism in Assessment
Chapter 1	Assessment in Early Childhood: A Work in Progress	1
	Factors Contributing to Current Changes in Assessment	2
	Changing Concepts of the Primary Purpose of Assessment	3
	Changing Concepts of How Children Develop and Learn	3
	Changing Nature of School and Center Populations	3
	Changing Educational Outcomes, Curricula, and Instructional Strategies	4
	Mandated Testing and Assessment	5
	Limitations and Inadequacies of Standardized Testing	5
	Expectations of Teachers	6
	Professional Organizations	6
	Accountability	6
	Working with Other Professionals	6
	Challenges	7
	Credibility	7
	Feasibility	7
	Professional Initiative and Responsibility	8
	Summary	8
	For Self-Reflection	9
	For Further Study and Discussion	9
	Suggested Readings	9
Chapter 2	Legal, Ethical, and Professional Responsibilities in Assessment	11
	Know and Abide by Basic Rights, Laws, and Court Rulings	12
	The Right to Equal Protection under the Law	12
	The Right to Due Process	13
	The Right to Privacy	13
	Major Legislation	14
	Be Sensitive to Individual Differences	15
	Children with Special Needs	16
	Children at Risk	16
	Children Who Need Challenge	16
	Inclusive Education	16
	Be Sensitive to Social and Cultural Differences	18
	Cultural Differences That May Influence Assessment	19
	Implications for Assessment	20
	Be Fair and Impartial	22
	Be as Objective as Possible	22
	Ensure the Accuracy and Trustworthiness of Assessment Information	24
	Use Assessment Results in Appropriate Ways	27
	Know the Limitations of Each Method of Assessment, and Guard against Overreliance on Any One	27
	Use Assessment Results for the Intended Purposes	27
	Know and Abide by State, School District, and Center Policies	27
	Summary	28
	For Self-Reflection	29
	For Further Study and Discussion	29
	Suggested Readings	30
Part II	Assessing and Teaching
Chapter 3	Why, What, and When to Assess	31
	Assessment Decisions	32
	Why Assess?	33
	To Determine Children's Status and Progress	33
	To Provide Information for Classroom Planning and Decision Making	34
	To Identify Children Who Might Benefit from Special Help	34
	To Collect and Document Information for Reporting and Communication	35
	What to Assess?	35
	Major Child Growth and Development Domains	35
	Expected Outcomes of the Program for Individual Children	36
	Unique Patterns of Development, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Interests	38
	Problems or Concerns about a Particular Child or Group	39
	Practical Considerations	40
	When to Assess?	41
	Before School Starts	41
	Assess Day by Day	42
	Assess Periodically	43
	Assess before and after a Concentrated Emphasis	43
	Assess to Get Information about a Specific Problem or Concern	44
	Some Final Thoughts	45
	Summary	45
	For Self-Reflection	46
	For Further Study and Discussion	46
	Suggested Readings	47
Chapter 4	Documenting: Collecting Information	48
	Multiple Windows	49
	Sources of Information	50
	The Child as a Source of Information	50
	Parents and Other Adults as a Source of Information	51
	Records as a Source of Information	51
	Methods of Collecting Information	52
	Observe Children Systematically	52
	Elicit Responses from Children	53
	Collect Work Products from Classroom Activities	58
	Elicit Information from Parents	60
	Contexts for Assessment	64
	Characteristics of the Context	64
	Examples of Contexts for Assessment	66
	Choosing the Appropriate Assessment Window	67
	Identify the Behavior to Be Assessed	67
	Use Authentic Assessment Measures or Windows	68
	Maximize the Chances of Seeing a Behavior	68
	Use Multiple Assessment Measures or Windows	68
	Summary	68
	For Self-Reflection	69
	For Further Study and Discussion	69
	Suggested Readings	70
Chapter 5	Documenting: Recording Information	71
	Description and Examples of Recording Procedures	72
	Procedures That Describe	72
	Procedures That Count or Tally	79
	Procedures That Rate or Rank	86
	Other Procedures	89
	Selecting a Recording Procedure	90
	Purpose of the Assessment	90
	What Is Being Assessed	90
	Amount of Detail Needed	90
	Practical Considerations	91
	Summary	93
	For Self-Reflection	94
	For Further Study and Discussion	94
	Suggested Readings	94
Chapter 6	Compiling and Summarizing Information	95
	Portfolios	96
	Description and Definition	96
	Purposes	97
	Basic Approaches to Portfolio Building	97
	Selection of Content	98
	Organization of Content	100
	Relationship of Portfolios to Other Types of Assessment	103
	Increasing the Information in Each Portfolio Item	103
	Issues	109
	Group and Individual Profiles	110
	Description and Definition of Group Profiles	111
	Purposes of Group Profiles	111
	Selecting and Organizing Content of Group Profiles	114
	Description and Definition of Individual Profiles	115
	Purposes of Individual Profiles	115
	Selecting and Organizing Content of Individual Profiles	116
	Summary	117
	For Self-Reflection	118
	For Further Study and Discussion	118
	Suggested Readings	118
Chapter 7	Interpreting Assessment Information	120
	Ensure the Authenticity and Trustworthiness of the Data	121
	To Determine Progress, Compare Performance at Two or More Points in Time	121
	Work from Compilations and Summaries	121
	Look for Patterns, Including Patterns of Errors, Rather Than Isolated Instances	121
	Consider a Child's or a Group's Unique and Individual Patterns of Development, Temperament, Interests, and Dispositions	122
	Identify Areas of Concern	122
	Interpret and Understand the Meaning of Assessment Findings	122
	Generate Multiple Hypotheses about Possible Meanings, but Hold Them Tentatively	123
	Analyze Performance as a Band or Interval within Which a Child Is Functioning	123
	Consider the Influence of the Total Sociocultural Context on Children's Actions	125
	Compare Evidence to Developmental or Curriculum Expectations	125
	Analyze Information for Clues to Learning Processes and Strategies	130
	Summary	135
	For Self-Reflection	136
	For Further Study and Discussion	136
	Suggested Readings	137
Chapter 8	Using Assessment Information	138
	Planning Strategies	139
	Plan and Organize the Intended Changes	139
	Refer to Assessment Information as You Plan	140
	Allow Time for Reflection	140
	Plan Ways to Meet Children's Assessed Needs	140
	Deliberately Incorporate the Wealth of Information, Resources, and Strategies Available to Support Young Children's Learning	140
	Plan for and with Other People in the Classroom	141
	Balance What You Might Like to Do with What Is Possible	141
	Individual and Group Strategies	141
	For One or Two Children	142
	For Several Children	143
	Mixed-Age Classes	143
	For the Entire Group	144
	Curriculum and Classroom Modification Strategies	145
	Allocate Time and Space in Different Ways to Achieve Different Results	145
	Select and Arrange Materials in Response to Assessment Results	145
	Use Any Apparent Sequence	146
	Look at the Need for Possible Change in Procedures	147
	Rethink and Restructure to Meet Children "Where They Are"	147
	Examples of Using Assessment Information to Guide Instruction	147
	Play	147
	Large Muscle/Gross Motor Development	150
	Small Muscle/Fine Motor Development	150
	Memory Strategies	151
	Summary	153
	For Self-Reflection	153
	For Further Study and Discussion	153
	Suggested Readings	154
Chapter 9	Organizing for Assessment	155
	Integrating Assessment and Teaching	155
	General Guidelines	156
	Developing a Plan	158
	Considerations in Planning for Assessment	158
	Sample Assessment Plans	160
	Using the Plan	163
	Organizing Files and Forms	164
	Notebooks, Files, and Portfolios	164
	Forms	170
	Still and Video Cameras, Audiotape Recorders, and Computers	175
	Other Aids	177
	Summary	180
	For Self-Reflection	180
	For Further Study and Discussion	180
	Suggested Readings	181
Part III	The Classroom and Beyond
Chapter 10	Standardized Tests: What Early Childhood Teachers Should Know	182
	The Difference between an Assessment That Has Standardized Procedures and a Standardized Test	183
	Definition of a Standardized Test	183
	Limitations and Inadequacies of Standardized Testing	184
	Technical and Educational Inadequacies	184
	Overuse and Misuse	185
	Unsuitability for the Population	185
	Undue Influence on Education	185
	Types of Standardized Tests	186
	Standardized Achievement Tests	186
	Standardized Aptitude Tests	187
	Standardized Screening and Diagnostic Tests	187
	Standardized Testing in Early Childhood Classrooms Today	188
	The Early Childhood Teacher's Role in Standardized Testing	188
	How to Find Out If a Standardized Test Is Reliable and Valid	189
	How to Administer a Standardized Test	192
	How to Explain Different Types of Test Scores	193
	How to Interpret Standardized Test Results	196
	Finding Out More about Standardized Tests	197
	Summary	197
	For Self-Reflection	198
	For Further Study and Discussion	198
	Suggested Readings	199
Chapter 11	Communicating and Collaborating Using Assessment Processes and Results	200
	Communicating with Children	201
	Communicating with Parents	201
	Before Reporting	201
	Ways to Report	203
	Communicating and Collaborating with Other Professionals	211
	Communication within the School or Center	211
	Communication with Other Schools and Centers	212
	Communication and Collaboration in Specialized Services	212
	Communicating with Funding and Regulatory Agencies, Governing Boards, and Citizen Groups	217
	Professional and Personal Development and Learning	217
	Professional Development and Learning	217
	Personal Development and Learning	218
	Summary	218
	For Self-Reflection	219
	For Further Study and Discussion	219
	Suggested Readings	219
Appendix A	Assessment and Analysis Guides	220
Appendix B	Developmental Red Flags for Children Ages 3 to 5	243
	Glossary	251
	References	255
	Name Index	271
	Subject Index	275