4.B Using Appropriate Assessment Methods

4.B.05
Staff-developed assessment methods
a. are aligned with curriculum goals
b. provide an accurate picture of all children's abilities and progress
c. are appropriate and valid for their stated purposes
d. provide meaningful and stable results for all learners, including English-language learners and children with special needs
e. provide teachers with clear ideas for curriculum development and daily planning
f. are regularly reviewed to be certain that they are providing the needed information

The Tree House staff rely on informal methods of assessment for the children enrolled in this classroom. These methods include but may not be limited to:

a. A developmental checklist/rating scale that was developed by The Children's Center staff to assess the curriculum goals as stated in The Ben Samuel's Children's Center curriculum. A link to the assessment tool is here.

b. We use a portfolio that includes the developmental checklist, collections of work (drawings, writing samples, paintings), language samples from conversations, anecdotal notes of progress, any developmental screenings from outside support sources and photos of work in action all provide an accurate picture of each child's abilities and progress.

 
c. As stated above, we use a portfolio assessment method to analyze the development and progress of each child in the classroom.  The checklist monitors the progress with the curriculum goals, while the collected samples of photos, work, conversations and anecdotal notes supports the data recorded on the assessment tool. The collection of data is weekly and is authentic to what we have been studying in the classroom.  All items of assessment are studied together as a composite of development and not in isolation of one another.

d.Our assessment process develops a "current standing of progress", therefore, the process not only illustrates the child's movement on the developmental scale, but where he/she falls on that scale. It's flexible, which is why it is beneficial for mixed age groups with multiple differences in ability. 

e. and f. All information is gathered and placed in a portfolio for each child and is reviewed bi-weekly throughout the school year. This occurs typically during our professional development planning meetings every Wednesday of the month.  The review of the portfolios  and the curriculum provide the information and support necessary for planning activities to meet individual and whole group goals. A picture of the professional development schedule is below:

4.C Identifying Children's Interests and Needs and Describing Children's Progress

4.C.02
Teachers assess the developmental progress of each child across all developmental areas, using a variety of instruments and multiple data sources that address the program's curriculum areas. Staff with diverse expertise and skills collect information across the full range of children's experiences.
As stated in 4.B.05, a portfolio including informal assessment methods is used to assess children's cognitive, physical, social/emotional and language development. 

A sample of some examples of evidence to show progress in learning that would be included in the portfolio:
Cutting samples to illustrate fine motor skills, specifically scissor skills.

 
Drawing samples of people and animals to assess progress with identifying parts of the body and including those details in their representations (cognitive development).

Anecdotal note sheet that indicates progress in math skills:

The entire Tree House staff (teachers, assistants and support staff) participates and gives information about the assessment of each child.

4.C.03
Teachers refer to curriculum goals and developmental expectations when interpreting assessment data.

A Tree House Planning Meeting

The Tree House staff comes together at least once per week to discuss classroom activities and individual development. During these meetings, we use the assessment data gathered on each child to help plan curriculum goals and individual goals for all the children, with and without special needs. As a result, these goals drive the planning of activities in the classroom. Thus completing the cycle of learning for each child.

4.D Adapting Curriculum, Individualizing Teaching and Informing Program Development

4.D.01
Teachers or others who know the children and are able to observe their strengths, interests, and needs on an ongoing basis conduct assessments to inform classroom instruction and to make sound decisions about individual and group curriculum content, teaching approaches, and personal interactions.

The special educator and the teacher discuss modifying an activity based on information from an observation/assessment taken during worktime.

The teacher discusses the work of a student with an assistant to illustrate the progress the child has been making in his literacy.

The special educator and Special Ed. Teaching Assistant work together to observe and record the progress of a child.

As stated before, all staff members who work in The Tree House (teachers, assistants, support staff) contribute to the assessment of all the children in the classroom, with or without special needs. We meet formally every one to two weeks to discuss curriculum goals and activities as well as individual growth and development. Furthermore, informal conversations happen daily about observations of the children in the class. These discussions, both informal and formal influence decisions about activities and strategies utilized when working with the children.

4.D.03
Teachers interact with children to assess their strengths and needs to inform curriculum development and individualize teaching.

The speech pathologist interacts with a child about the daily calendar. As this occurs, she will assess his skills as they are related to his goals and then discuss this with the team during a planning meeting.

The teacher is conversing with and documenting the conversation of 3 children to use for assessment of language and cognitive development.  These conversations are also used to determine any new interests for investigations.

During activities, teachers converse with the children to asses their understanding of concepts and skill at expressive and receptive language.

All staff members may interact with the children individually, in small groups or in large groups to help assess development and plan for meaningful activities that address both curriculum and individual goals.









4.D.07
Teachers talk and interact with individual children and encourage their use of language to inform assessment of children's strengths, interests, and needs.

In this photo, the teacher and the child are counting their fingers. She is assessing his verbal skills and counting skills. 

The assistant discusses an activity with the child in order to ascertain if he understands the directions to the activity.

The speech pathologist converses with the child during a writing activity.  She determines his level of success with literacy and writing

Conversations with children play a significant role in assessing the strengths, interest and needs of individual children. Individual, small group and large group discussions are documented and utilized to inform curriculum content and assessment. This documentation may include but is not limited to dialogue transcripts, charts, graphs and webs of experiences.





4.D.08
Teachers observe and document children's work, play, behaviors, and interactions to assess progress. They use the information gathered to plan and modify the curriculum and their teaching.
As mentioned above, various methods are used to document children's progress, assess their learning and plan activities to address curriculum and individual goals. As a result, all activities are compiled and then organized into content domains onto a weekly activity guide. To view an example of a weekly activity guide, click here.

4.E Communicating with Families and Involving Families in the Assessment Process

4.E.01
Families have ongoing opportunities to share the results of observations from home to contribute to the assessment process.

A parent is relaying drop-off information to one of the assistants in the morning.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled twice per year to discuss progress, any need of support and future goals for the children. However, parents can share information daily about home observations that reflect upon individual learning, growth and development of their child. They can either have face to face conversations with the teacher or staff members, phone conversations, e-mail conversations or respond to curriculum posts on our blog.

4.E.03
Teachers, families, and relevant specialists have regular opportunities to participate in two-way communication conferences to discuss each child's progress, accomplishments, difficulties in the classroom and at home as well as to plan learning activities.
Formal conferences are scheduled twice per year and are typically conducted by the early childhood educator. All information gathered about the child from our assessment tools is compiled and written into a narrative report. This report also serves as a conference guide that is presented to the parents at the time of the Parent/Teacher Conference. The topics addressed during the conference collaborate with the Content Areas written in the curriculum. These include but may not be limited to:

• Social/Emotional Development
• Approaches to Learning/Cognitive Development
• Health and Physical Development
• Language and Literacy
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Creative Arts
• individual goals for the next 6 months
• Parental goals for their child

To view a sample of the Progress and Conference Guide, click here.