Assessment Data to Guide Practice

As you learned from our discussion about informal assessments and from the required readings in the text, using informal assessments to guide curriculum planning and instructional decisions allows educators to best support children's specific strengths and needs, as explained in the Jaruszewicz (2012) text, developmentally appropriate approaches to assessment include a comprehensive, systematic, and focused look at each and every child's specific learning and development. In this assignment you have an opportunity to explore informal assessments further in relation to the use of data to drive the creation and delivery of those assessments.

Consider the following scenario as a frame of reference for this assignment: You are an educator that has collected assessment data on a child in your program or classroom and now must create a curriculum plan based on the assessment data. Next, review the Week Three Instructor Guidance for additional help with this assignment and review the multimedia resources for Anecdotal Records, the Rating Scale, and the Checklist. Finally, use the instructions below to guide your creation of your curriculum plan based on the assessment data in the resources. Remember to review the Grading Rubric associated with this assignment to understand how you will be evaluated. It is recommended you use the labels below as headings throughout your writing to organize sections (Tip: These would all be APA level-one headings.)

Instructions

• Introduction: Write a succinct introduction that informs the reader of the topic of the assignment and its organization. Remember, an effective essay introduction tells the reader what you will say.

• Assessment Observations: In one to two paragraphs, describe the observations that you made from the data using several examples from the assessments.

• Child Observations: In three to four paragraphs, describe the strengths and areas of opportunity (i.e., weaknesses) for the child based on the assessment data.

• Short-Term Goal: In three to four paragraphs, explain three specific instructional decisions for a short-term goal for the child based on the data analysis.

• Long-Term Goal: In one to two paragraphs, explain one specific long-term goal for the child based on the data analysis.

• Conclusion: Write a succinct conclusion that informs the reader of the main points from the assignment. Remember, an effective essay conclusion tells the reader what you have said in a summary.

• Length Requirement: Two to three pages, not including the title and references pages.

• APA Formatting: Use APA formatting, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, consistently throughout the assignment, which includes citations in the body of the assignment, the title page, and references list.

• Source Requirement: Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the text.

• Syntax and Mechanics: Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.