EDE3123

ASSESSMENT IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD

TOPIC 4:
GUIDE TO OBSERVATION: GETTING ORGANIZED
OVERVIEW

to observe
 PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
1. Strength-based process
- focuses on the individual child’s comprehensive
development

2. Understand the child’s condition

- not too lengthy
- not administered in unfamiliar settings
- not administered by unfamiliar adults
- cannot use methods that are inappropriate to children’s
developmental or language abilities
 PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
3. Incorporate multiple sources and ways
- different sources taken over time
- consists of:
a) direct observations
b) samples of children’s works
c) parent’s/ guardian’s reports
 PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
4. Instruments must be culturally appropriate & sensitive
- accommodate the needs of children who are speakers of
other languages

- special consideration is required for use with special need

children
 PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
5. Instruments must be validated, reliable and normed
- valid: measure what to be measured (e.g.: physical
checklist items to measure motor skills)
- reliable: result is consistent over times
- normed: used in other settings & standardized (referenced)
 PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
6. Families and early childhood teachers are well-informed
- about:
a) purpose
b) conduct
c) outcome/ benefit
 CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS WITH
INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
• Teachers and other professionals who administer
assessments need to be sensitive to young children’s very
short attention spans and distractibility. They should:

1. have all materials ready prior to the session

2.know the procedures and materials to be used

3. provide alternative procedures for an assessment

 CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS WITH
INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
• Steps in conducting assessment:
1. Be familiar to the child. Develop rapport from the
beginning

2. Ensure that the child is comfortable and familiar with the

assessment setting

3. Be alert to signs of fatigue or behaviors that indicate the

child is no longer responding

4. Use time efficiently without hurrying the child

 CHOOSING STRATEGIES & TECHNIQUES
Assessment techniques fall into two categories:

1. formal assessment 2. informal assessment

(standardized test)
 CHOOSING STRATEGIES & TECHNIQUES

FORMAL ASSESSMENT INFORMAL ASSESSMENT

• Also known as standardized • Also known as teacher-
test designed measures
• Have instructional manual • no manual, mainly involves
(administration & scoring) observation

• Study differences between • to measure individual

individuals and groups and characteristics & no norms-
for follow-up activities referenced
 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS
Example of administration manual of formal assessment
(standardized test)

Manual (procedure)
 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS

1. Screening Test
• a brief assessment procedure to identify a risk of
possible learning problem or special need

2. Diagnostic Test
• in depth assessment to identify the existence of a
disability or weakness in a child

• test results: suggest possible causes & potential

remediation strategies
 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS

3. Readiness Test
• to assess the degree to which children are prepared for
an academic or pre-academic programme
• measure children’s mastery over specific curriculum
content
• but it does not directly measure children’s potential for
future learning and inadequate to predict future
academic achievement
 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS
4. Achievement Tests
• is used mainly to determine children’s mastery over
curriculum content after a period of instruction

• only beneficial for educational planning & curriculum

modification
 INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS
• Child assessment can be informal:
a) conducting natural observations
b) collecting children’s work (portfolio)
c) using teacher’s designed measures
 INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS
• Natural observations can be made with minimal or no
intrusion into children’s activities

• Educators can observe all facets of development, including

intellectual, linguistic, social-emotional, and physical
development, on a regular basis

• Portfolios: a record of data that is collected through the work

children have produced over a period of time

• The collection shows the progress of a child’s development

• It can be an important tool in helping facilitate a partnership

between teachers and parents.
 HOW INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN ARE
ASSESSED

• In recent years researchers, medical specialists & educators

have learned how to work with children at younger age to
minimize the effect of delays in growth & development

• Various tests were & are administered and successfully

prevent and help children
 TESTS FOR INFANTS

• They are challenging because:

1. short attention span
2.own schedule
3. rapid developmental change

thus the validity & reliability of the test is questionable (difficult to

administer and interpret)
 HOW INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN ARE
ASSESSED
• Example: Apgar Scale (for infants)
- a simple assessment of how a baby is doing at birth

- this quick evaluation is done one minute and five minutes

after the baby is born

- tests: "Apgar“ Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, &

Respiration
 HOW INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN ARE
ASSESSED
• Here's how APGAR scale is used to assess a baby's
condition at birth:
1. Activity (muscle tone)
- 0 Limp; no movement
- 1 Some flexion of arms and legs
- 2 Active motion

2. Pulse (heart rate)

- 0 No heart rate
- 1 Fewer than 100 beats per minute
- 2 At least 100 beats per minute
 HOW INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN ARE
ASSESSED

3. Grimace (reflex response) 5. Respiration (breathing)

-0 No response to airways -0 Not breathing
being suctioned - 1 Weak cry; may sound like
-1 Grimace during whimpering, slow or irregular
suctioning breathing
-2 Grimace and pull away, -2 Good, strong cry; normal
cough, or sneeze during rate and effort of breathing
suctioning

4. Appearance (color)
-0 The baby's whole body is
completely bluish-gray
or pale
-1 Good color in body with
bluish hands or feet
-2 Good color all over body
OTHER MEASURES FOR INFANTS
OTHER MEASURES FOR TODDLERS &
PRESCHOOLERS
OTHER MEASURES FOR TODDLERS &
PRESCHOOLERS
 HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT ASSESSMENT
INTO YOUR PROGRAM?

• Assessment aligns with instructional

• It is important to first determine what should be measured;

then find the assessment program that best assesses
those goals

• Assessor knows the child. The adult conducting the

assessment should have a pre-existing relationship with
the child. Ideally the assessor is the educator
 HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT ASSESSMENT
INTO YOUR PROGRAM?

• It should be made at a variety of children’s activities and be

ongoing in order to fully see the progress of a child

• The assessment process is cyclical. The cycle allows

educators to make changes to their curriculum to better
serve children in their program
 TUTORIAL
• Click on https://
openpsychometrics.org/printable/big-five-personality-test.pdf

• Administer to yourself, analyze and interpret the finding.

• Answer the following questions:

1. Do you think this test measures one’s personality (validity)

2. Do you think the items sufficient to represent each personality?

3. Does this test picture yourself?

4. Do you have any suggestions to improve the test?

THANK YOU