Early Childhood Assessment Purposes
Summary
TLDRKristy 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
- π Assessment in early childhood is a process for gathering information to make decisions, not a single event.
- π There are six major purposes for assessment: developmental and behavioral screening, eligibility for IDEA, planning and instruction, revising instruction, program evaluation, and accountability.
- πΆ Developmental and behavioral screening aims to quickly identify potential concerns and determine if further action is needed.
- π Universal screening differs from developmental and behavioral screening as it checks the progress of children already receiving services.
- π Eligibility assessment under IDEA involves a thorough examination to determine if a child qualifies for special education services.
- π Planning instruction involves using assessment information to decide what, where, and how to teach children, tailored to their cultural context.
- π Revising instruction is an ongoing, iterative process that adapts to children's needs and progress over time.
- π« Program evaluation assesses the effectiveness of programs by looking at individual or group data, environment, and community satisfaction.
- π Accountability in early childhood involves meeting standards set by various agencies and ensuring every child and family has an opportunity to thrive.
- π€ It's crucial to differentiate between assessment tools and purposes to ensure accurate and trustworthy decision-making.
- π 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
π 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.
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Assessment
π‘Early Childhood
π‘Developmental and Behavioral Screening
π‘IDEA
π‘Planning and Instruction
π‘Revising Instruction
π‘Program Evaluation
π‘Accountability
π‘Universal Screening
π‘Response to Intervention (RTI)
π‘Cultural Relevance
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
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