Assignment Content
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Competency
- Explain the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment with children from birth to age 8.
- Incorporate reflective practice into the observation and assessment process to support effective curriculum planning.
- Compare observation documentation and assessment approaches for children birth to age 8.
- Determine ethical, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate assessment practices promote positive outcomes for each child.
- Analyze the relationship between observation, assessment, and curriculum planning to support positive outcomes for children.
- Create assessment partnerships with families and professional colleagues to build effective learning environments.
Student Success Criteria
View the grading rubric for this deliverable by selecting the “This item is graded with a rubric” link, which is located in the Details & Information pane.
Scenario
If you are currently working in an early childhood program, reflecting on your practices and challenges can support your continued growth and development. Your goal is to identify the root of the issue and to support positive outcomes for the children in your care (or plan for future children in your care) by using observation and assessment. To accomplish this goal, you decide to create an observation and assessment reflective journal.
Select a topic from the list below for the subject of your reflective journal:
- Inconsistencies in documenting observations objectively.
- Challenges of communicating assessments to families.
- Improving the use of assessments as part of the cycle of knowledge.
- Incorporating developmentally appropriate practices in assessments.
- Proactive versus reactive assessment – only observing and assessing when there is an issue with a child.
- Utilizing the Code of Ethics as a standard for effective assessment practices.
Instructions
First, select how you will document your journal either by creating a Word document or using a virtual tool (see below resources for more information).
Next, identify the topic you would like to examine and how you will use the journal to impact your current or future assessment practices.
Complete the following parts with at least one paragraph of content to discuss each part in your journal.
Part 1: Topic
Write an introduction to the topic that addresses the following:
- What issue is taking place in the classroom or program that you feel is important to address within the selected topic?
- What have you observed that prompted consideration of this topic? What caused you to choose the topic from the list?
- What are the intended goals/outcomes as it relates to the identified topic?
Part 2: Analysis
Write an analysis that addresses the following:
- What do you know about developmentally appropriate practice as it relates to the identified topic?
- What are strengths and/or areas of development as it relates to this topic?
- What ethical considerations need to be included as from the Code of Ethical Conduct?
- What cultural or language considerations are needed for this topic?
Part 3: Next Steps
Write the next steps for the topic that addresses the following:
- Based on what you know about the topic, what are your next steps?
- What will you do to support learning outcomes for the children in your care and your practice in relation to this topic?
- How are you going to record your data from these new steps? (e.g., photos, video recordings, work sampling).
- Provide a rationale of why this documentation method was chosen.
Part 4: Reflection
Write a reflection that addresses the following:
- What happened (or what do you anticipate will happen) as a result of these next steps?
- How did reflective practice on this topic support this outcome (or anticipated outcome)?
- Based on these findings, what action steps would you suggest?
Part 5: Communicating Results
Write a communication plan that addresses the following:
- How will you share your findings with others? (Example: This may be a conversation with colleagues in a staff meeting, shared during a parent-teacher conference, or highlighted in a program newsletter).
- Provide a rationale for why this communication method was chosen and how it will support family engagement and relationships.
Submission Requirements:
- Submit your journal as a Word document or the URL link to your blog website
- If you chose to create a blog or online journal, ensure the link you submit is working and does not require a password.
- Incorporates at least one credible source as an APA formatted reference.
- Uses professional language with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Resources