Improving Child-Level Assessments in Early Childhood ...teachers, and directors and instructional coaFor one ches. year, members from each group met several times to grapple with issues

Forum on Children & Families Page 1

Setting the

WHY DIRECT ASSESSMENT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD?

Spring 2012

Issue 3

Policy Brief Child & Family Policy Center The Child & Family Policy Center at New York University convened a two-part Forum series on Improving

Child-Level Assessments in Early Childhood Settings. The first meeting took place in May 2011 and brought

together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, to identify the challenges and opportunities for improved

child-level assessments to support young children’s educational progress by discussing the importance of aligning

the measurement needs of the different constituents. During this Forum participants volunteered to participate

in three “working groups.” These working groups were ad hoc committees designed to generate clear, actionable

recommendations for ways that existing assessments can be used, reduced, or integrated to meet the data and

measurement needs of teachers and agency directors. Three main working group topics were identified: 1) how

might assessment information be effectively communicated to parents & families? 2) how do child-level

assessments influence teacher practice? and 3) how can directors and classroom coaches appropriately choose

the best measure(s) to inform practice? The groups assembled several times during the 2011-2012 academic

year to discuss direct assessment in the preschool environment from the perspectives of three major

stakeholders: parents, teachers, and program directors.

What follows is a brief report of the topics addressed by each working group. Recommendations for

immediate practice improvements and long-term policy considerations are provided. We urge you to contact us

with feedback or comments regarding this policy brief at [email protected] or (212) 998-5885.

Improving Child-Level Assessments in Early Childhood Educational Settings

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 legislated a mandate that statewide early childhood assessment procedures be established by the 2005-2006 school year (NCLB, 2002). This increased focus on early childhood assessment in national education policy warrants a discussion about how assessment implementation, validity, and the entire assessment experience may be improved for all pertinent stakeholders. Educators and directors are searching for strategies to improve their practice so they may actively monitor and support young children’s educational progress. Similarly, researchers and policymakers should understand the context that educators are operating in so the data gathered may be evaluated appropriately and better inform such decisions. During the Forum, keynote speaker Michael L. López, Ph.D. identified three types of childhood assessments: authentic assessment (criterion-referenced), direct child-level assessments (norm- referenced), and program- level assessments to monitor program accountability.

guided instruction

national comparrison

ensure program

accountability and evaluate effectiveness

Authentic Assessments (criterion-referenced)

Direct-Child Assessments (norm-referenced)

Program-level assessments


PECA Working Group

WHO 3 members of Head Start Policy Council, 6 policy administrators, and 5 practitioners.

FOCUS Parental empowerment in childhood assessment.

Setting the Stage: Accountability, Quality & Diversity

Early childhood education and care has garnered

substantial national attention during the past decade (Rous,

Lobianco, Cara Lin, & Lund, 2005). In New York City,

there has been a dramatic growth in preschool enrollment

(NYC DOE, 2011).

Data for graph taken from The NYC Department of Education website

(NYC DOE, 2011).

There is a growing emphasis for the development of

early childhood accountability systems to monitor student

progress and measure program effectiveness. Early

childhood programs that require the use of observational

and direct assessments commonly cite using Teaching

Strategies GOLD, Work Sampling System , and the Child

Observation Record (Halle, T., Zaslow, M., Wessel, J.,

Moodie, S., and Darling-Churchill, K., 2011).

The recent adoption of the Common Core Standards

(CCS) in preschool by New York State has drawn attention

to accountability systems, curricula, and measurement tools

needed to adequately implement and measure student

learning (National Association for the Education of Young

Children- NAEYC, 2011). This provides an opportunity to

examine how agencies and states can build an integrated

system of assessment that can align with the new standards

and curricular foci.

What are Working Groups?

Working groups, comprised of volunteer Forum

participants, were developed to discuss issues related to the

delivery of high quality assessment of young children from

the perspectives of three distinct stakeholders - parents,

teachers, and directors and instructional coaches. For one

year, members from each group met several times to

grapple with issues pertaining to child-level assessment

practices. Each group constructed a unique strategy for

reviewing existing policies and practices with the aim of

improving procedures for implementing child assessments

in early childhood classroom settings.

Parent Working Group

The Parent and Early Childhood Assessment Working

Group (PECA) was charged with thinking about ways to

present information about assessments to families. Given

that children are being assessed multiple times throughout

the school year this group expressed the importance of

maintaining clear communication with parents about their

child’s assessment results. When parents are informed and

teachers are supported, assessments are often viewed as

being informative, reassuring, and inclusive. When parents

are not informed, assessments can be viewed as

threatening, one-sided, and confusing, creating barriers for

parental understanding and engagement in the assessment

process with young children.

05,000

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101

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02-0

303

-04

04-0

505

-06

06-0

707

-08

08-0

909

-10

10-1

111

-12

NYC Pre-K Enrollment 2000-2012


PECA’s conceptual framework identifies three domains for

intervention (López, Peterson, Baca, & Caspe, 2011):

access, understanding, and action. Empowered parents

have access to information about assessments, an

understanding of the assessment process, and sufficient

motivation to take action as advocates for their child during

the assessment process.

Note: This framework was adapted from López, M. E., Peterson, S., Baca, D. & Caspe, M. (2011) Involving Parents and Families in Data-Driven Decision-Making. Presented at the 1st National Birth Through Five Institute, Washington, DC.

In order to empower parents through

understanding, PECA began work on developing an

“Assessment Toolkit” for parents, which used clear and

accessible language regarding assessment practices.

Conceptualized as a comprehensive set of tools for

programs to provide to their parents, the toolkit includes a

Parents’ Bill of Rights, definitions and general information,

and a list of important questions for parents to ask teachers

during the assessment process.

In order to empower parents through access, PECA also

proposed creating a Parents Educating Parents taskforce, a

self-sustaining group of volunteer parents trained to provide

information to other parents about assessment practices in

early childhood. The taskforce would be available to

programs across New York City to provide information

about direct child assessments at parent orientations or

during workshops. Because parent groups already exist,

one option for implementation would be to add an

assessment module to their curriculum. Research into

existing models in our city/state suggests that approximately

$20,000 per year would be required to fund a group of 20

parents that would train both incoming members and

parents at large in the community.

Teachers Working Group

The Teachers Working Group was charged with

determining the roles, needs, and challenges teachers

encounter in the context of classroom child assessment.

Through collaboration and shared expertise, the group’s

mission was to bring together voices from the field to

identify where concerns exist through an examination of

the “big issues” in early childhood assessment from the lens

of teachers. Although this group did not have the

opportunity to work directly with early childhood teachers,

Empowered Parent

Access to information (in a

variety of ways)

Understanding of the information & the

process Action Encouragement to participate in the

development of the information & to act

on it

RECOMMENDATIONS

Families • Take advantage of opportunities to

get involved in the assessment process

Early childhood programs • Make assessments family-accessible,

meaningful and actionable

Policy-makers • Align assessment across the PreK-K

transition, involving families in the process

Funders • Prioritize funding initiatives that

facilitate meaningful family engagement in assessment


Teachers Working Group

WHO 6 members: researchers, educators, and funders

FOCUS Pre-service and in-service teacher training in childhood assessment

group members did consult professors from early

childhood teacher training programs and New York State

officials to gain perspective on the “big issues” teachers

experience. These conversations highlighted the need for

both pre-service and in-service teacher training in child

assessment.

To address these needs, higher education programs

should provide teacher-training program students with

stronger foundations in child development and assessment,

and familiarize students with the instruments used in the

field. In this way, new teachers may enter the field better

prepared to engage in authentic assessment. In addition,

policy makers and directors should establish systems of

professional development and support for early education

teachers, especially those in under-resourced communities.

In-service training should be geared toward understanding

and addressing teachers' concerns surrounding assessments,

helping teachers make informed decisions when choosing

and implementing assessments, and training teachers to use

assessments to inform practice. Providing systematic and

ongoing professional development for teachers in the areas

of child development, assessment, and observation, can

lead to more valid assessment data to inform both

instruction and research.

Directors Working Group The task of the Directors Working Group was to

identify critical issues early childhood education

directors/executive directors in community-based

organizations (CBOs) face when conducting assessments

and supporting practitioners. Members came from public

sector, service provider, and research backgrounds. This

group concluded that child assessments allow directors to

monitor student progress, support teachers and identify

programmatic strengths and areas for improvement.

Assessments also require directors to select measures, train

teachers, monitor implementation, and analyze results to

drive decisions at the child, classroom and program levels.

Directors Working Group

WHO 7 Members: public sector representatives, service providers, and researchers

FOCUS Promote practitioners’ successful assessment implementation

RECOMMENDATIONS

Higher Education • Provide a stronger foundation in child

assessment • Familiarize students with the best

instruments in the field

Policy-Makers • Establish systems of professional

development • Provide opportunities for support and

growth

Program Directors • Provide the on-site support for

authentic assessment


Through research and evaluation efforts, the New York

City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is working

towards developing a system that will provide tailored

training on specific curricular assessments. For example, in

2011, NYCDOE’s Work Sampling System (WSS)

curriculum piloted a survey with early childhood directors

and principals to understand how assessment impacts early

childhood leaders and their center’s overall practice.

To further understand the context in which center

directors are working in, the working groups led two efforts:

1) created and disseminated a survey to all early childhood

centers in NYC, and 2) convened a meeting with important

stakeholders to document child assessment requirements

and related supports.

A brief survey was designed, to identify the center and

classroom supports needed and challenges faced when

implementing assessments. The survey was distributed

electronically to early childcare providers across

Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), Department

of Education (DOE) and Department of Health (DOH)

regulated settings. Two-hundred three directors responded

to the survey citywide. All respondents directed sites

serving pre-k (3 and/or 4-year olds), 37% of respondents

also directed sites serving infant/toddler, and 25% of

respondents directed sites serving school-age children.

Consistent with previous NYCDOE survey results,

most respondents use Work Sampling System (WSS),

Creative Curriculum Continuum/GOLD, or Child

Observation Record (COR) as their curriculum and

assessment tool. One major finding from these data is that

many respondents confuse child assessment with program

assessment (i.e. ECERS-R) or developmental screening (i.e.

Brigance).

Respondents were asked to list the top three supports

needed or the challenges their sites faced when

implementing child assessments. Many respondents

reported that there is a need for training for teachers/staff

on how to use assessment tools (96%). The second major

challenge identified is that teachers/staff need more

professional development trainings on utilizing assessment

data to inform their instruction and improve program

quality (93%). Finally, directors reported that they would

like support with understanding how to choose a child

assessment tool (75%).

These data provide confirmation that directors need

programmatic support, quality training, and funding to

adequately support their Center’s needs. Directors have a

vital role in creating the conditions for teachers, parents,

and children to have positive experiences within the early

childhood environment.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Build a common understanding among

DOE, ACS, and DOH about effective assessments

• Create information session for directors on using quantitative and qualitative information to drive decisions

• Pilot strategies for effective linkages between early childhood CBOs and elementary schools need to use assessment data to inform classroom practice


Best Practice:

Shared Purpose, Common Language, and Valid Procedures The role of assessment can be confusing when each stakeholder may hold a different interpretation of its meaning.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Christine McWayne, synthesized three purposes of assessment data to help clarify any confusion by

suggesting that child assessment can: 1- to inform the research process, 2- to inform curriculum planning and instruction, 3- to

inform program evaluation and policy-making. If child assessments can be used to inform the different bodies, then the real

challenge is to create supportive conditions for teachers, directors, policy-makers, and researchers to use assessments for the

right goals. If assessment is going to be successful, a close examination is needed to ensure that teachers are being prepared

properly with a solid foundation in child development and assessment and supported to do this work. As the assessment

process becomes part of a family’s everyday talk involving and empowering parents in the assessment process is crucial so

parents can access the assessment information to advocate for their child (Caspe & Reyes, 2012; McWayne, 2012).

Conclusion

Child-level classroom based assessments can be a very useful tool in serving the diverse needs of children. By examining

the needs of parents, teachers, and directors to successfully observe and assess young children, we heighten our awareness of

how to implement assessment in meaningiful, effective ways. Common themes that emerged across all working groups included

1) the need to balance assessment time with instruction time, 2) the need for increased professional development training on

assessments, and 3) the relationship among data, teacher performance, and child outcomes are important to explore.

As the field of early childhood moves in the direction of standards and assessment linking each group’s recommendations

will be an important beginning. The policy and practice recommendations presented in this brief provide a small glimpse of

how we can move this topic forward.

Child & Family Policy Center New York University

Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development 726 Broadway, 5th Floor

New York, New York 10003 212 998 5885 | 212 995 4215 fax www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/cfpc

Director: LaRue Allen, Ph.D.

Assistant Director: Jennifer Astuto, Ph.D.


Improving Child Level Assessments in Early Childhood Settings: Highlights from our Working Groups

Forum Attendees

Kim Adams*

LaRue Allen Brooke Allman Jocelyn Alter* Jennifer Astuto

Patti Banghart Haifa Bautista*

Karen Berliner* Kareene E. Berry

Cynthia Boyce* Gregory Brender

Deborah Breznay Terrence Brummell*

Jennifer Butch Moria Cappio *

Suzanne Carothers* Deborah Carroll Margaret Caspe*

Sherry M. Cleary * Maria Cordero Eileen Cruz Sherry Davidson

Judy Ennes* Alyse Erman

Cynthia Esposito Lamy* Beverly Falk

Ola Friday Rocio Galarza

Ann Gardner Michael Greenberg* Ayleen Guzman

Wen-Jui Han Miranda Harrison * Dorothy Hartigan*

Mary Hayes

Juanita Hollingsworth-Johnson*

Kathy Hopkins Sharon Huang

Ellen Jaffe* Shelly Jones* Mabel Juanita Kelsey Keays Hagerman

Joy Kennedy Nancy Kolben* Lesley Koplow

Jennifer Kotler Clarke Marcia Lawrence

Kathleen Leos Rebecca Light* Michael López Jennifer Lozano

Rosa Marcano * Meg McNiff

Christine McWayne Cristina Medellin

Kelly Medora * Gigliana Melzi

Janice Molnar Maxine Needle Lynda Nicolas Nana Ofosu-Amaah

Esther Olvera* Jessica Orleans Mabel Otiotio* Sophia Pappas Kisha Pressley-Vann * Vidya Ragoo-Stark*

Jill Resnick Krystal Reyes*

Rose Rivera Natalie Rojas

Jennifer Rosenbaum Jorge Saenz De Viteri

Maria Santos Adina Schick

Louise Secordel Jacqueline Simms*

Sheila Smith Laura Sosinsky

Jeanette Spencer Christina Taharally

Sara Vecchiotti Rose Vukovic

LaChelle Walker Carolyn Wiggins

*working group members

Spring 2012 Issue 3


Acknowledgements

Forum Committee

LaRue Allen, Ph.D., New York University

Jennifer Astuto, Ph.D., New York University

Joy Kennedy, New York University

Cristina Medellin-Paz, New York University

Gigliana Melzi, Ph.D., New York University

Adina Schick, Ph.D., New York University

Special Thanks to our Forum Speakers

Keynote Speakers: Michael L. López, Ph.D.,

Executive Director, National Center for Latino Child &

Family Research

Christine McWayne, Ph.D.,

Associate Professor & Director of Early Childhood

Education, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child

Development, Tufts University

The Child & Family Policy Center would like to express its appreciation to

The Shoolman Foundation for making this event possible.

The Edith Glick Shoolman Children's Foundation was created by Edith Glick Shoolman

(1904-2003) whose dream was to make a difference in the lives of children. Their

mission is to foster the health, education, and well-being of children.

Spring 2012 Issue 3


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Spring 2012 Issue 3


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Rous, B., Lobianco, T., Cara Lin, M., & Lund, I. (2005). Building Preschool Accountability

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Spring 2012 Issue 3

Documents

Improving Child-Level Assessments in Early Childhood ...teachers, and directors and instructional coaFor one ches. year, members from each group met several times to grapple with issues