Planning for Assessment

Consider the following scenario:

Cassie is hoping to be hired as a preschool teacher in a center-based program. As part of her interview, the director explains that developmentally appropriate assessment is part of their program commitment to providing quality care and education. She then asks Cassie to describe an assessment process or plan that she could imagine doing with the children in her class.

Cassie responds by explaining that she would assess children's language and literacy skills at the beginning and the end of the year, two weeks prior to each of the scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

She adds that she has noticed a variety of such assessments while surfing the internet so accomplishing this type of assessment shouldn't be difficult. It's important, she goes on to explain, to also assess oral language skills during these same time periods so she intends to take notes during snack time on the ways children interact with their peers.

At conferences, she would then be able to provide parents with a snapshot of their child's development related to language and literacy, and, at the year-end conference, summarize for parents the ways in which their child's language and literacy skills have grown and developed over the course of the year.

Consider what you have learned about effective, developmentally appropriate assessment so far in this course.

Post the following:

Your evaluation of Cassie's assessment plan

Suggestions that you would make to Cassie regarding her plan