Assessment: Birth to Five Jacqueline Jones, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University Jacqueline Jones is Visiting Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. She is also a Senior Research Scientist at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. Her work focuses on the development of classroom-based strategies to document young children’s science and literacy learning, the relationship of documentation to assessment, and the role of assessment systems in the ongoing professional development of classroom teachers. Jones is currently working on the development of videotape and print materials for teachers, staff developers, and university teacher educators. The materials outline the rationale and strategies for identifying, collecting, and analyzing the evidence of young children’s understanding of natural phenomena. Jones has lectured extensively on such topics as documenting early learning; redefining assessment for young African American children; alternative assessments in multicultural literacies; performance assessment in special education; a process approach to alternative assessments; and validity, reliability, and standards in the development of authentic assessments. Among her other appointments, Jones is a reviewer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Head Start Research Advisory Committee. "The major purpose of early childhood assessment is to provide direction to caregivers for the improvement of instruction." — Jacqueline Jones Presentation Highlights From birth through 5, the major purpose of documentation and ongoing assessment in early childhood is to provide direction to caregivers and to improve instruction. This presentation focuses on the guiding principles and essential elements of ongoing assessment. Guiding Principles in Early Childhood Assessment Documentation and ongoing assessment should: Be based on multiple forms of evidence of children’s learning—teachers’ observational records, children’s work samples, and records of children’s language; Be based on multiple sources of evidence—teachers, parents, and the children themselves can provide evidence of on-going development; Show evidence of learning that is collected over a period of time—the normal, rapid, and episodic development of young children’s learning requires ongoing assessment, rather than a snap-shot view of one moment in development; Be designed to highlight what children know, rather than focusing on preconceived deficits; Focus on the learning of groups of children, as well as that of individuals; and Pay attention to consequential validity—the results of documentation and ongoing assessments should always serve to enhance children’s learning and they should do no harm. Assessment in the Context of the Teaching/Learning Process Classroom Practice: Effective documentation and ongoing assessment of children birth through 5 should be grounded in daily classroom practice, rather than on tasks and interactions that are outside of the child’s everyday classroom or home environment. Collaboration with Colleagues: Effective documentation and ongoing assessment is a collaborative process. Teachers, parents, and administrators need to be actively engaged in the process. Description Precedes Judgment: A careful look at and description of language, behaviors, and work samples should precede any judgments about children’s development. The Assessment Questions How will we know when children have learned what we want them to learn? What does the evidence of learning look like? How much evidence is sufficient? What will we do with the evidence? To whom will we communicate the assessment results? Benefits of Documentation and Ongoing Assessment Reflection on practice is an essential element of purposeful and effective teaching. Documentation and assessment should begin with a clear focus on what we want children to learn. A carefully planned system of identifying, collecting, describing, and analyzing evidence of young children’s learning may serve as a powerful professional development tool by: Enhancing the adult’s understanding of children’s learning and development; Increasing the adult’s focus on appropriate environments and experiences that lead to better instruction; and Increasing the adult’s knowledge in content areas such as science and mathematics. Essential Elements of Effective Documentation and Ongoing Assessment Systems Administrative Support: Teachers and parents cannot do this work alone; administrative support is essential to develop and sustain a coherent program-wide ongoing assessment system. Strong, supportive, and involved administrators must work to ensure a common language around instruction and assessment, as well as a deep understanding of the curriculum goals and evidence of movement toward those goals. Time: Time must be allocated for collecting and discussing evidence of children’s progress, so that it can become an integral part of the workday. An Attitude of Self-Study: The assessment system needs to contain a self-study component, with opportunities for administrators, teachers, and parents to review, modify, and enhance their curriculum and assessment procedures. Implementation of an ongoing assessment system should not be punitive, rather it should be an opportunity to enhance knowledge and guarantee the very best educational environments for young children. Video of Presentation Presentation Highlights No Handout for This Presentation List of Curriculum and Assessment presenters/presentations Information on how to view videos and view/download handouts

HSRC Home | CDI Home | OHS Home | ACF Home | Site Map | Facilities | Help | Privacy | Email  (last modified: October 23, 2003)