Early Childhood Assessment Purposes

Summary

Kristy Fronsac, owner of B2K Solutions, discusses the multifaceted purposes of early childhood assessment, emphasizing six key areas: developmental and behavioral screening, eligibility for IDEA, planning and revising instruction, program evaluation, and accountability. She clarifies the distinction between developmental screening and universal screening, highlighting the importance of using appropriate assessment tools to inform decisions and interventions in early childhood education.

Takeaways

• 📚 Assessment in early childhood is a process for gathering information to make decisions, not a single event.
• 🔍 There are six major purposes for assessment: developmental and behavioral screening, eligibility for IDEA, planning and instruction, revising instruction, program evaluation, and accountability.
• 👶 Developmental and behavioral screening aims to quickly identify potential concerns and determine if further action is needed.
• 🔎 Universal screening differs from developmental and behavioral screening as it checks the progress of children already receiving services.
• 📖 Eligibility assessment under IDEA involves a thorough examination to determine if a child qualifies for special education services.
• 📝 Planning instruction involves using assessment information to decide what, where, and how to teach children, tailored to their cultural context.
• 🔄 Revising instruction is an ongoing, iterative process that adapts to children's needs and progress over time.
• 🏫 Program evaluation assesses the effectiveness of programs by looking at individual or group data, environment, and community satisfaction.
• 📊 Accountability in early childhood involves meeting standards set by various agencies and ensuring every child and family has an opportunity to thrive.
• 🤔 It's crucial to differentiate between assessment tools and purposes to ensure accurate and trustworthy decision-making.
• 🛠 The field of early childhood is still evolving in terms of assessment practices, often drawing from K-12 models and adapting existing tools.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Kristy Fronsac's work in early childhood?

Kristy Fronsac's primary focus in early childhood is the assessment of young children, emphasizing the gathering of information to make informed decisions.

Why is the process of assessment considered more than a moment in time?

Assessment is considered more than a moment in time because it is an ongoing process of gathering information to continually make a series of decisions about a child's development and needs.

How many major purposes of assessment in early childhood does Kristy mention?

Kristy mentions six major purposes of assessment in early childhood.

What is the difference between developmental and behavioral screening and Universal screening?

Developmental and behavioral screening is used to identify potential concerns and determine if further action is needed, while Universal screening is designed to check the progress of children already receiving services to determine if they need more or different instruction.

What does IDEA stand for, and what is its relevance to early childhood assessment?

IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is relevant to early childhood assessment as it guides the evaluation of a child's development to determine eligibility for special education services.

Why is it important to differentiate between developmental and behavioral screening and Universal screening?

Differentiating between the two is important because they serve different purposes and lead to different decisions regarding a child's educational needs and potential qualification for special education services.

What is the purpose of assessment in planning and instruction?

The purpose of assessment in planning and instruction is to guide what to teach, where to teach, and how to teach, based on the individual needs and cultural context of the children being served.

How does the concept of revising instruction relate to ongoing assessment?

Revising instruction is an iterative process that involves ongoing assessment to ensure that children are thriving and that teaching methods and content are adjusted as needed to meet their evolving needs.

What is program evaluation in the context of early childhood assessment?

Program evaluation in early childhood assessment involves assessing the effectiveness of a program by looking at individual or group data, the environment, team functioning, and community satisfaction to determine if the program is meeting its goals.

Why has accountability become a major purpose of early childhood assessment?

Accountability has become a major purpose due to the age of accountability where educational programs must ensure they are meeting set standards and providing every child and family with opportunities to thrive.

How should the tools used for different purposes of assessment be approached?

The tools used for different purposes of assessment should be carefully selected and not mixed, as each purpose requires specific data and approaches to make trustworthy decisions.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Early Childhood Assessment Overview

Kristy Fronsac, owner of B2K Solutions, introduces the topic of early childhood assessment, emphasizing its importance in gathering information for decision-making. She outlines six major purposes for assessment: developmental and behavioral screening, eligibility for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), planning and instruction, revising instruction, program evaluation, and accountability. Kristy clarifies the distinction between developmental and behavioral screening and Universal screening, highlighting the need for early identification and intervention. She also touches on the importance of assessment in planning instruction tailored to children's cultural backgrounds and the challenges of program evaluation and accountability in the context of early childhood education.

05:02

📚 Planning Instruction and Program Evaluation

This paragraph delves into the intricacies of planning instruction in early childhood education, stressing the importance of using assessment information to inform teaching practices that are culturally relevant to the children served. Kristy discusses the iterative process of revising instruction based on ongoing observation of children's progress. She also addresses the complexity of program evaluation, which may involve analyzing individual or group data, assessing the quality of the educational environment, and considering community satisfaction. Accountability in early childhood assessment is highlighted as a significant purpose, with the need to meet standards and ensure opportunities for all children and families, while cautioning against mixing assessment tools intended for different purposes.

Keywords

💡Assessment

Assessment in the context of the video refers to the systematic process of gathering information about young children to make informed decisions about their developmental and educational needs. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the various purposes and types of assessments used in early childhood education. The script mentions that assessment is 'much more a process than it is a moment in time,' emphasizing its ongoing nature in understanding and supporting children's growth.

💡Early Childhood

Early childhood is the period of life encompassing the first years of a person's life, typically from birth to age eight. The video focuses on this stage because it is a critical time for development and learning. The speaker, Kristy Fronsac, has dedicated her work to this age group, highlighting the importance of early intervention and education.

💡Developmental and Behavioral Screening

Developmental and behavioral screening is a type of assessment used to identify potential developmental delays or behavioral issues in young children. The video discusses the importance of this screening to determine if a child should be further evaluated for concerns, using the phrase 'is there a red flag' to illustrate its purpose.

💡IDEA

IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a U.S. federal law that governs how states provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. The video mentions it in the context of determining eligibility for special education services based on assessment results.

💡Planning and Instruction

Planning and instruction relate to the strategic development of educational activities tailored to children's needs. The video emphasizes the importance of using assessment information to guide what, where, and how to teach children, as part of the broader process of early childhood education.

💡Revising Instruction

Revising instruction refers to the ongoing process of adjusting and improving educational strategies based on children's progress and needs. The video script mentions this concept to illustrate the dynamic nature of teaching and the necessity of adapting to individual children's learning trajectories.

💡Program Evaluation

Program evaluation is the systematic assessment of a program's effectiveness, typically involving the collection and analysis of data to determine if the program meets its goals. The video discusses this in the context of evaluating early childhood programs to ensure they provide quality education and services.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the video refers to the responsibility and obligation of early childhood programs to meet certain standards and demonstrate their effectiveness. It is linked to the broader societal and governmental expectations for transparency and performance in educational services.

💡Universal Screening

Universal screening is a process used to check the progress of all children receiving services or instruction, to identify those who may need additional support. The video differentiates it from developmental and behavioral screening, noting that it is more about monitoring the effectiveness of current interventions.

💡Response to Intervention (RTI)

Response to Intervention is an educational approach that involves providing increasingly intensive interventions based on a student's response to initial instruction. The video mentions a joint paper discussing RTI frameworks in early childhood, indicating its relevance to the assessment and support of young children's learning.

💡Cultural Relevance

Cultural relevance in the context of the video pertains to the importance of considering the cultural backgrounds and experiences of the children when planning and delivering instruction. The speaker stresses the need for assessments and teaching strategies to be sensitive to the cultural realm of the children served.

Highlights

Assessment in early childhood is a process, not a moment in time, aimed at gathering information for decision-making.

There are six major purposes for assessment in early childhood education.

Developmental and behavioral screening is crucial for early identification and intervention.

The difference between developmental and behavioral screening and Universal screening is clarified.

Universal screening is used to check the progress of children already receiving services.

IDEA eligibility assessment determines if a child qualifies for special education services.

Assessment is used for planning and revising instruction tailored to individual children's needs.

Program evaluation assesses the effectiveness of early childhood programs against set goals.

Accountability in early childhood assessment is driven by external agencies and stakeholders.

The importance of not mixing assessment tools intended for different purposes is emphasized.

Assessment should inform daily instructional decisions, not just broad outcomes for accountability.

The transcript discusses the complexities of program evaluation and its impact on decision-making.

Different levels of program evaluation, from individual to state-wide, are considered.

The role of assessment in determining kindergarten readiness and program quality is highlighted.

Assessment tools should be carefully selected based on their intended purpose and reliability.

The challenges of adapting K12 assessment models for early childhood education are acknowledged.

Cultural relevance of assessment information is crucial for effective early childhood education.

The transcript calls for a nuanced understanding of assessment in early childhood to avoid over- or under-identification of children.

Transcripts

this recording is all about early

childhood assessment purposes and I'm

Kristy pretty Fronsac the owner of b2k

solutions I've been working in early

childhood for decades and primarily I

focused my work on the assessment of

young children so let's talk a little

bit about the major reasons we engage in

assessment and the different purposes

and decisions for which we do assessment

so basically assessment is this way of

gathering information and we gather

information to make a series of

decisions and so it's much more a

process than it is a moment in time and

many would argue that assessment is all

about sitting beside and getting to know

a child in early childhood we have at

least six major purposes or six major

decisions

it seems over time those decisions have

grown there are more decisions that need

to be made there are more reasons we

engage in assessment however the

literature is pretty consistent in

looking at these six broad areas and

we'll talk about each and then talk a

little bit about some of the nuances

within each purpose so we have

developmental and behavioral screening

which we'll talk about next is not to be

confused with Universal screening

eligibility for I DEA which stands for

the individuals with Disabilities

Education Act at the time of this

recording it was last reauthorized in

2004 we also engage in assessment for

the purpose of planning and instruction

and revising instruction instruction is

used broadly it could be a learning

opportunity an interaction with a

toddler or a preschool activity so we're

really using this word instruction quite

broadly a fifth purpose we engage in

assessment in early childhood is program

evaluation and of course because we live

in an age of accountability that has

become a sixth purpose so let's first

talk about developmental and behavioral

screening this is the probably one of

the biggest places people are confused

and I encourage you to read the joint

paper by the division for early

childhood the National Association for

the education of young children and the

National Head Start Association their

joint paper on response to intervention

frameworks in early childhood

really talks about the difference

between what we've always known an early

childhood as part of our child find in

terms of developmental and behavioral

screening versus in this multi-tiered

system of support models or in response

to intervention models how k12 has

conceptualized Universal screening so

basically the nuts and the bolts are

that developmental and behavioral

screening is still a part of recommended

practice in working with young children

we always want to identify and intervene

as early as possible the idea is that a

developmental or behavioral screener

tells us should I be worried is there a

red flag these are things that we do

quickly they should be done easily and

they should be done in a way that leads

to not over identifying but now so not

under identifying children in our

communities on the flip side Universal

screening which sounds an awful lot like

because they have a similar name which

is screening is really designed to

determine if children who are already

receiving services children who are

already receiving instruction how are

they doing so it's a thermometer a check

in a temperature check right we want to

see how kids are doing and and generally

we want to compare them to what is an

expectation at a given point a certain

grade a certain age a certain time of

the year so Universal screening is

really done to help us determine how

children are progressing and if they

need more or different instruction

that's a really different decision that

we would make versus does this child

need additional testing and might they

qualify for special education services

so it's really important that groups sit

down and take a look at the difference

between developmental and behavioral

screening and Universal screening and

then apply the recommended practices for

each of those purposes as alluded to

another major purpose is evaluation or

sometimes we call it eligibility this is

where we really talk about is a child

struggling to the point where we think

that they may qualify in a given state

as a child with a disability or a child

with some sort of delay or disorder and

so this is part of our federal

requirements in the United States again

under the individuals with Disabilities

Education Act where

really look thoroughly at a child's

development in the context of their

family and community to determine if

they qualify for services again very

different decisions than the two we just

talked about before around screening

this is really trying to make a decision

of the nature or severity of a problem

that has been identified and then we can

decide if a child qualifies for under

IDE a another purpose for assessment in

early childhood probably a key purpose

and one that is mushed into other

purposes or disregarded is how we plan

instruction so what do we do to figure

out what to teach where to teach and how

to teach what is guiding us whether I'm

a home visitor an itinerant teacher a

speech-language pathologist a preschool

teacher it doesn't matter

our if I'm serving a child under any

circumstances in a child care I'm a mom

I'm a preschool teacher that's got an

inclusive classroom I need to make

decisions about what to teach where to

teach and how to teach and these things

should not be dictated by state policies

or local norms or expectations that are

outside the cultural realm of the

children that I serve I really need to

use my assessment information and then

of course we've seen different types of

cycles and ways to think of this as an

iterative process this instruction that

we deliver isn't static and so we really

want to think about how is it an ongoing

way that we revise instruction how are

we looking over time to see that

children are thriving how are we

changing what we do in terms of what we

teach when we teach where we teach what

we teach with and of course how we teach

the fifth purpose of assessment is this

notion of program evaluation this can be

really complicated as well because we

might look at an individual child and

look at their data to help us know how a

program is um if they're effective if

they're meeting their mission if they're

meeting their desired goals we might

look at groups of children so we might

aggregate data and look at a class or we

might look at a district or we might

even look at an entire state

so we look at the child's performance on

key indicators we might also look at the

environment in which the child is

receiving instruction to see if there is

a quality environment in terms of the

physical and social environment we might

look at how teams function we might look

at how instruction is delivered we might

look at how satisfied members of the

community are with the program more and

more people might be looking at

kindergarten readiness to determine the

quality of programming so this can

become very complicated and takes a lot

of skilled effort to engage in program

evaluation that produces data that are

trustworthy and that can be used to make

decisions

the last major purpose of early

childhood assessment is this one called

accountability and so we've seen these

phrases before quality rating race to

the top we know that there are different

agencies if you work for Head Start you

might know that there are lots of

different rules that need to be followed

ways that you need to be held

accountable for the services that you're

providing and so regardless of where the

pressure comes from whether it be a

federal agency a state agency or even

just stakeholders in terms of taxpayers

we do live in an agent of accountability

where we need to make sure that we are

meeting the standards set forth that we

are giving every child and every family

an opportunity to thrive but again as

with program evaluation this is quite

complicated and the stakes can be quite

high so we need to be very careful that

we don't start mixing the tools that we

use for one purpose for these purposes

it's not it's sort of a little bit new

still in our field of early childhood

we're still trying to find our way and

oftentimes we might pull from k12 or we

might use existing tools and try to

adapt them in some way to meet our needs

or to meet the pressures under

accountability so again the answers that

we seek in terms of accountability are

much broader than things that a teacher

or a home visitor or a parent might need

on the day-to-day basis to plan and

revise instruction and certainly it

would be different data than we would

use in a developmental and behavioral

screener that's solely there to tell us

if we need to do additional testing it's

not there to tell us if a child's

meeting broad outcomes set forth by a

federal agency so again it's important

that we think about what is our purpose

for engaging in assessment

why am I sitting beside this person this

child this team this program this

community what is it that I need to know

and how is it that I'm going to go about

getting those data in a way that I can

make trustworthy decisions