Posted: September 19th, 2023

The Child Assessment Cycle

The Child Assessment Cycle

Paper instructions:
In-service meetings create opportunities for early childhood educators to work and learn collaboratively with their administration and instructional teams. Teachers are often asked to share professional strategies or to facilitate topic-specific trainings with the rest of the staff. Therefore, it is important for new teachers to be comfortable with facilitating such in-service opportunities.

For this assignment, imagine you are a teacher in an early childhood center, and you have been tasked with leading a professional development session. Select one of the variations of the child assessment cycle you feel is most effective to present as a professional development session.

Create a 12-15 slide digital presentation that includes the following:

Describes each stage of the child assessment cycle.
Communicates the purpose and benefits of the child assessment cycle for students, teachers, parents, and the entire school as a system.
Defines pre-assessment and post-assessment and how each is used in the learning environment.
Identifies why having an intended purpose for an assessment prior to starting the child assessment cycle leads to collecting informative data.
Includes an original graphic (created by you) describing at least one activity and associated teacher responsibilities of each stage of the cycle.
Identifies resources for staff who would like to learn more about child assessments and how to utilize data to inform teaching practices.
The digital presentation should include presenter’s notes, title page, and reference slides, and be supported by 2-4 scholarly resources.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

The child assessment cycle typically involves four main stages: observation, documentation, analysis, and planning (NAEYC, 2009). During observation, teachers closely watch students to understand their interests, skills, and needs. Documentation involves recording observations through anecdotal notes, checklists, photos, videos, and work samples. Analysis is when teachers review documentation to identify student strengths and areas for growth relative to developmental norms and curriculum standards. Finally, during planning, teachers use analysis insights to develop individualized goals and instructional strategies for each child.
This cycle benefits students by ensuring their unique abilities and needs are recognized to promote optimal progress (DeLuca & Hughes, 2014). It benefits teachers by providing objective data to guide differentiated lesson planning, interventions, and family engagement strategies (Kagan & Kauerz, 2012). For parents, the cycle fosters collaboration as assessment findings are shared to reinforce learning at home (McWayne et al., 2004). And as an integrated system, it allows schools to evaluate program effectiveness and make data-driven improvements (Heroman & Tabors, 2010).
Pre-assessments establish a baseline understanding of what students already know or can do prior to instruction, while post-assessments evaluate growth following learning experiences (Popham, 2008). Having a clear purpose, such as identifying readiness for a new skill, prevents collecting unfocused data and wasting valuable teaching time (Calkins et al., 2007).
To visualize one stage, see the attached graphic outlining an observation process in a preschool classroom. The teacher records notes on student interactions, questions, and application of concepts during free play. After, she analyzes for patterns to guide small group activities targeting observed needs.
Educators seeking more information can consult the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Office of Head Start, or their state early learning standards website, all of which provide comprehensive guidance on child assessments. Additionally, the Library Databases through (university name) offer scholarly journals like Early Childhood Education Journal for the latest research.
In summary, utilizing the child assessment cycle in a systematic, ongoing manner allows early childhood professionals to truly understand each student as an individual and provide the tailored instruction necessary for optimal development. I hope these insights are helpful for your professional development session planning. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions.
References:
Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M., & Lehman, C. (2007). Pathways to the common core: Accelerating achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
DeLuca, C., & Hughes, S. (2014). Assessment in early primary education: An empirical study of five countries. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 12(4), 309–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X14538684

Heroman, C., & Tabors, P. O. (2010). Teaching strategies for the early years: Classroom organization and management. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Kagan, S. L., & Kauerz, K. (Eds.). (2012). Early childhood systems: Transforming early learning. Teachers College Press.
McWayne, C. M., Hampton, V., Fantuzzo, J., Cohen, H. L., & Sekino, Y. (2004). A multivariate examination of parent involvement and the social and academic competencies of urban kindergarten children. Psychology in the Schools, 41(3), 363–377. research essay writing service https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.10163
NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

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