Most countries have national regulations and standards for early childhood education, often broken down by state or region.
Most countries have national regulations and standards for early childhood education, often broken down by state or region. Others may only have outlines or suggestions for assessment. Early childhood educators need to be aware of their country and/or state/region standards and those set forth by NAEYC in order to know what is expected of them as professionals.
Discussion 1: What Are Responsible Assessment Practices? And How Do They Support Healthy Development and Positive Learning Outcomes for Young Children and Their Families?
Early childhood educators, as well as all other educators, are asked every day to make decisions that come, in one way or another, from assessment. All of these decisions will affect a child’s learning outcomes. In a world where abuse of assessment and charges of misuse run rampant, what exactly are responsible assessment practices, and what do they mean to an early childhood educator?
This Discussion examines responsible assessment and the NAEYC’s position on what constitutes good practice. You will examine your own practice and select assessments that are appropriate for use in the learning environment. You will determine the best uses for these assessments and explain how they should be used and what data they will provide. Selecting the proper assessment instrument is crucial to supporting healthy development and positive learning outcomes in young children.
To prepare:
· Review this module’s Learning Resources and reflect on the material. Pay particular attention to NBPTS Early Childhood Generalist, NAEYC Position Statement, the video How to Observe Children, along with the Jiban (2015), Sparks (2015), and Dennis, Rueter, and Simpson (2013) articles and recommended readings.
· Then, considering the definition of assessment, carefully note the various ways to assess young children while considering your own practice.
By Day 3 of Week 1
Post the following:
· In your own words, define “responsible assessment” and provide a rationale for your definition. Support your statements from the assigned readings.
· Identify two elements from the NAEYC position statement that best reflect your personal philosophy regarding assessment and that you believe are of the greatest importance to the field. Explain your selection and support your statements from the assigned readings.
REFERENCES
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0271121414523652
http://ceelo.org/state-information/state-map/
http://info.nwea.org/rs/nwea/images/EarlyChildhoodAssessment-ImplementingEffectivePractice.pdf
Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S. (Eds). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
· “NAEYC Position Statement” (pp. 1–16)
· “NAEYC Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice” (pp. 16–24)
· “To Be an Excellent Teacher” (pp. 33–50)
http://www.naeyc.org/research/using
Required Media
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2015a). How to observe children [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.
Janet Gonzales-Mena provides observation information key to professionals in the early childhood field.
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Running head: RESPONSIBLE ASSESSMENT 1
RESPONSIBLE ASSESSMENT 5
Early childhood assessment
Student
Professor
Course
Date
Responsible assessment
Responsible assessment is the process by which educators analyze the strengths and weaknesses of children to determine their capabilities and areas that they may need to be helped. Responsible assessment helps educators, parents, and families with crucial information about a child’s development in various areas such as language, social-emotional and cognitive. Therefore, it helps the teachers to adjust their learning schedules to help children to perform better (Goldstein and Flake, 2016).
There are two elements of NAEYC that support my philosophy and which are important in this field. The first statement is to respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every child, family member, and colleague. I have developed the philosophy of respecting the dignity and worthiness of people. I believe that we are all equal and hence, we also have the same potential of growing and becoming better regardless of our physical or mental conditions. Understanding the dignity of a child can help the teachers to put more effort into helping the children to improve in their performance. Furthermore, this element is crucial as it helps the teachers to incorporate the children with various needs. Respecting the dignity and worthiness of a child can help to improve their morale and self-esteem in their studies (Bowman, Donovan and Burns, 2001). Respecting the uniqueness of children helps the tutors to undertake performance assessments to improve their academics. Performance assessment helps to determine the level of competency of a child. It is a learning context that helps the teachers to observe record and evaluate the knowledge, skills, and accomplishments of the learners.
The performance of children in a class may vary. Some students perform better than others. However, by respecting the dignity of a child, the teachers evaluate the means of helping such learners to overcome their difficult situations. There are different of undertaking the performance assessment. First, Jiban (2013) notes teachers need to observe the behavior of children including how they interact with their colleagues, and also respond to the questions in class. For the weak students, the teachers need to develop positive intervention programs to help them improve in their studies. One of the positive intervention methods that teachers can use is congratulating the learners for the efforts that they put into the class. Secondly, polite and frequent feedback is also crucial in helping the learners. Frequent feedback can help to form a positive bond between the children and their teachers. Furthermore, feedback also allows the teachers to determine the key areas that children need to improve. Although Bowman, Donovan, and Burns (2001) note that feedback and positive interventions are time-consuming, they help the teachers to keep a track record of children’s growth and academic progress.
The second statement that NAEYC emphasizes is to close the academic achievement gaps based on race and social-economic backgrounds. I fully support diversity and inclusivity because it allows people to interact, work or get an education in the societies that they chose. Therefore, the teachers should also learn to incorporate this idea into their work. Cultural considerations are among the factors that can be used to close the academic gaps based on race and socio-economic backgrounds. As Bowman, Donovan, and Burns (2001) state, education should be viewed as a journey from the natal culture to school culture and the culture of the larger society. America is technologically advanced in many aspects including the education system. Therefore, they need to welcome children from different backgrounds to promote diversity. Furthermore, academic gaps based on race and social-economic classes can be closed if the teachers also become culturally sensitive. Cultural sensitivity means the process of studying and welcoming the learners from different cultural backgrounds (Jiban, 2013).
Race and social-economic background not only involves the culture and the social classes. It also involves assessing children with various disabilities. This is a crucial step that can help the teachers to determine if disabled children may require specialized treatment or be taken to special schools. However, Goldstein and Flake (2016) state that this is one of the most challenging areas in early childhood assessment. NAEYC has a list of tools that can be used to monitor children with disabilities. The first tool is a rating scale that can be used to evaluate the child’s participation and performance in academic studies. The second tool is through observation and interviews. Through interviewing and observation, the teachers can determine if children with disabilities are fit to study with other normal children or not.
To conclude, responsible assessment is crucial in shaping and improving the performance of children. However, the NAEYC model is crucial in helping teachers to evaluate the academic growth of children. With its policy of closing the academic gaps, respecting the dignity of children, and respecting the culture of children, it has become easier for the teachers to evaluate the performance of children.
References
Bowman, B., Donovan, S., and Burns, S. (2001). Educating Our Preschoolers.
The National Academies of Science Engineering Publishers. Online at: https://www.nap.edu/read/9745/chapter/7#223
Goldstein, J., & Flake, J. K. (2016). Towards a framework for the validation of early
childhood assessment systems. Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability, 28(3), 273-293.
Jiban, C. (2013). Early childhood assessment: implementing the effective practice.
NWEA publishers. Online at:http://info.nwea.org/rs/nwea/images/EarlyChildhoodAssessment-ImplementingEffectivePractice.pdf
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Discussion 2: Analyzing Accomplished Teaching and Assessment Practices and Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses in Practice
“Standard V: Assessing Children’s Development and Learning” and the “Architecture of Accomplished Teaching from the National Board” from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) (2012) outline the best practices for teaching young children. Along with “Purposes for Assessment” from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) (2009), these documents provide a foundation for assessment and analysis of data.
In this Discussion, you will examine your personal strengths and challenges in your assessment practice. You will conduct research and provide information on how to improve your own practice, as well as share this information with others. You will begin to serve as a critical friend to your peers as you suggest resources for their benefit.
To prepare:
· Analyze each element of the “Architecture of Accomplished Teaching,” “Standard V: Assessing Children’s Development and Learning,” and “Purposes for Assessment”
· Then, read the two Bagnato (2011, 2014) articles.
· Finally, review the material from Week 1 Discussion.
·
By Day 3 of Week 2
Post the following:
· Identify three personal strengths and three challenges in your current assessment practices/teaching. Give examples from your own practice.
· Identify how you can develop two of your areas of weakness.
· Use external research (a minimum of two resources) to support your statements regarding improvement.
· Include in your discussion the NAEYC “Purposes for Assessment.”
References
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0271121414523652
https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf
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Assignment: Blog: Policies and National Regulations and Standards for Early Childhood Education
Most countries have national regulations and standards for early childhood education, often broken down by state or region. Others may only have outlines or suggestions for assessment. Early childhood educators need to be aware of their country and/or state/region standards and those set forth by NAEYC in order to know what is expected of them as professionals.
For this Assignment, you will examine your country/region/state standards and compare these to NAEYC principals of child development and NBPTS Standard V: Assessing Children’s Development and Learning. As you analyze and compare, begin considering how the standards could be improved to better align with NAEYC and NBPTS standards.
Note: Students may opt to select a state or country/region other than their own. The objective here is to examine existing standards and generate suggestions for improvement.
To prepare:
· Review your country/region/state website on early learning guidelines/regulations/policies and assessment requirements.
· Then, review the materials from Discussion 1 and 2. Compare and contrast your country/region/state policies and standards regarding assessment with NAEYC principles of child development and learning that inform practice and NBPTS Standard V.
Do the following in your blog:
· Summarize your state’s policies and standards for Early Childhood Education. Link the source of your information.
· Compare and contrast these policies with NAEYC principles of child development and learning that inform practice and NBPTS Standard V. Include your suggestions for improvement.
· Generate three questions for guests to answer based on your state’s policies on assessment and your readings for this module.
· Cite at least three sources from the Learning Resources and a minimum of two additional sources from your own research to substantiate your thinking. Note: The resources should be in APA format.
MY STATE IS IN MISSISSIPPI BOLIVAR COUNTY ;AND YOU CAN USE MDES.GOV ( MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION) WEBSITE
As a communication and collaboration tool in this course, you will be asked to develop blog posts of your own and get used to reading and commenting on the blogs of your peers.
By Day 3 of Week 2
References
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0271121414523652
https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/CAPEexpand.pdf
Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S. (Eds). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
· “NAEYC Position Statement” (pp. 1–16)
· “NAEYC Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice” (pp. 16–24)
· “To Be an Excellent Teacher” (pp. 33–50)
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