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Eastern Connecticut State University
Course Syllabus
Department: Education
Course Title: Assessment in Early Childhood Education
Course Number: ECE 435
Credit Hours: 3
Catalog Description: Examines assessment strategies in early childhood education. Facilitates the development of a portfolio as a documentation of teacher's professional growth. Emphasizes portfolio assessment of children's development. Explores tools for formative and summative program evaluation.
Course Prerequisites: Admission to the ECE teacher preparation program and student teaching.
Purpose of the Course: To help preservice teachers gain in-depth understanding of assessment and evaluation practices in the Early Childhood classroom and to facilitate the development of the portfolio as both a self-assessment and child assessment tool. To guide students' formative and summative evaluation of early childhood programs.
Texts: 1. Helm, J. H., Beneke, S., & Steinheimer, K. (2007). Windows on Learning: Documenting Young Children's Work, Second Edition. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
2. McAfee, O., & Leong, D. (2006). Assessing and guiding young children's development and learning (4th edition). Columbus, OH: Allyn & Bacon.
3. Jablon, J., R., Meisels, S. J., & Dichtelmiller, M., L. (2001). Omnibus guidelines: Preschool through third grade. (IV Ed.) Ann Arbor, MI: Rebus Planning Associates.
Readings: 1. Professional journal articles
Course Outcomes Aligned with the Education Department's Performance Expectations, NAEYC, CEC and CCCT Standards, and with Related Key Experiences
1. Be able to interpret and implement various formative evaluation strategies (including assessment of classroom environments, curriculum, and children's daily responses to these) and summative program evaluation tools (including quantitative and qualitative measures of developmental outcomes), and apply findings to curriculum planning and adaptations. / 1.1
2.2 / NAEYC, 3.0; CCCT II.7.
NAEYC, 4.0; CCCT I. 3., 4., 5., 6, II. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
CEC 8: CC8K1, CC8S4, EC8S4; 2: CC2K1, EC2K1; 3: CC3K3, EC3S1 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Child Assessment Portfolio
2. Understand the difference between and use of quantitative and qualitative/authentic forms of assessment of all children within daily classroom life. / 1.1
2.1 / NAEYC, 3.0; CCCT II.7; CEC 8: CC8K1, CC8K4 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Child Assessment Portfolio
3. Develop a culturally sensitive assessment portfolio of a child, which includes authentic, performance-based data gathering--work sampling, observations, anecdotal records, developmental checklists, child and parent interviews--as well as available standardized assessment data-in order to evaluate development in all domains, and to guide curriculum planning. / 2.1
2.4
3.1
5.1
6.1 / NAEYC, 3.0; CCCT II.7.
NAEYC, 1.0; CCCT I.1. & 2.
CEC 3: CC3K5, EC3K1, 8: CC8S1, CC8S9, EC8S1, EC8S4 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Child Assessment Portfolio
4. Conduct a needs assessment of services and resources in the community where they are student teaching, including research on federal and state resources available to diverse families, in order to evaluate community needs and school effectiveness. / 2.1
5.1
6.1 / NAEYC 2.0
NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6. / · Advocacy Plan
· Cultural Profile
5. Understand the important advocacy role of early childhood professionals and develop an advocacy plan for addressing a specific community issue related to children and families. / 5.1
6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
NAEYC 2.0
CEC9: CC9S3, EC9K2, EC9S7, EC9S6, 10: EC10K1 / · Advocacy Plan
6. Create a self-assessment portfolio documenting their professional growth in all areas, including NAEYC standards; discuss the impact of their liberal arts training/background on their professional preparation. / 1.1
2.1
5.1
6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
NAEYC, 3.0; CCCT II.7. CEC 9: CC9K3, CC9S9. / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Work towards professional portfolio
7. Be able to articulate their philosophical beliefs relating to education in a concise, thoughtful, and personal philosophy statement. / 6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
CEC 9: CC9S5; 2: EC2K1, EC2K4 / · Philosophy Statement
8. Identify and describe their own professional goals in a concise, thoughtful, and personal statement of professional goals. / 6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6; CEC 9: CC9K3 / · Professional Goals Statement
9. Effectively and sensitively share findings on a child's development, based on a child assessment portfolio, with parents, other family members, children themselves. / 1.1
2.4
5.1
6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
NAEYC 2.0
CEC 8 : EC8S5; 10: CC10S5 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Child Assessment Portfolio
10. Apply skills for involving parents and families in designing an individual assessment procedure and using assessment data to plan curriculum and adaptations for special needs. / 2.1
5.1
6.1 / NAEYC 2.0
NAEYC, 3.0; CCCT II.7.
CEC 9: EC9S2, EC10S2; 10: CC10S1, CC10S9 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Child Assessment Portfolio
11. Apply NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct and Connecticut's Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers in resolving real-life dilemmas within their student teaching placements. / 5.1
6.1 / NAEYC, 5.0; CCCT III. 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6.
CEC 9: CC9S1, EC9S3 / · Class/VISTA discussions
· Philosophy Statement
Course Outline
1) Assessment policies and principles in Early Childhood education.
2) Developmentally appropriate assessment practices for young children.
3) Why assess children? Roles of the teacher, the child and the parent.
4) Culture and family considerations in planning and conducting assessment.
5) Evaluation of program and curriculum.
6) Quantitative vs. qualitative assessment of children.
7) Summative and formative forms of assessment and their varied uses.
8) Instructional planning as guided by on-going assessment.
9) Various methods of data collection.
10) Drawing inferences from data
11) Development of a child assessment portfolio.
12) Development of a professional portfolio.
13) Conducting planned parent-teacher conferences.
14) Understanding the community’s cultural profile and resources.
15) Advocacy and leadership as an early childhood educator.
16) Ethical practice in the profession: NAEYC’s and Connecticut’s codes of conduct.
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KEY EXPERIENCES
1a. Community Cultural & Resource Profile
Candidates will complete a narrative report on the cultural profile of their school community. This will entail a careful analysis of the historical, cultural and socio-economic status of the community, together with an outline of services available for diverse families and children. (Standards 2 and 5)
1b. Advocacy Plan
Candidates will research and compile an advocacy action plan to serve a critical need in the community. This need could arise from your research for assignment #1 above. Undergraduate students must incorporate their diversity experience plan into this advocacy plan (Standards 2 and/or 5).
2. Videotaped Self-analysis of Teaching
Candidates must arrange with their university coordinator or teacher to have one of their teaching sessions videotaped. They will complete a self-analysis of their teaching using the Connecticut Common Core of Teaching as the framework. Candidates will submit the analysis as well as an edited video of their teaching. Both the analysis and the CD should be in your portfolio (Standard 4 or 5).
3. Child Assessment Portfolio
Candidates will plan, collect and compile an assessment portfolio for a child from a diverse background in their class. Part 1 of this portfolio will include the assessment plan, preliminary interviews, and preliminary data. Part II will comprise of all remaining data and documentation and an overall summative evaluation together with a report for parents. Please place the child assessment portfolio in its entirety in your portfolio (Standard 3).
4. Course Participation
Course participation will be adjudged by a) the candidates’ timely and thoughtful completion of the required course participation activities, namely Online discussions and Exit Emails; b) attendance in full of all campus classes; and c) timely completion of all required assignments. The (revised) professional dispositions in classroom interactions rubric will be utilized to measure course participation. All students must submit a self-report at the end of the semester.
Online discussion: Questions will be posted periodically at the discussion board on VISTA and all candidates will be expected to respond to it within two weeks. Responses should be thoughtful, and (where necessary) show connections to class reading and discussions. All candidates must read and respond to at least two other candidates’ responses, during the course of this semester.
Exit emails: After each week of online class, candidates must send an exit email via VISTA mail. These emails should a) outline what they have learned from that week’s session, with explicit reference to the class notes within the PowerPoint file AND the assigned readings, b) (if applicable), state any questions they may have, and c) clearly define their progress in the course assignments.
Class attendance: The exit emails will serve as attendance. Exit emails, either not received by each Friday evening at 7:00 PM or emails that do not have a) and c) described in the previous paragraph, will result in the student being considered absent for that day. After two “absences,” students will need to make a personal appointment in campus to be allowed re-entry. After “three” absences, students will automatically receive a grade of ‘F’ for the course. They must complete the course again the next semester that it is offered (see ECE attendance policy for more details).
5. Personal philosophy statement
Candidates will revise and polish their personal philosophy statement pertaining to their beliefs about the education of young children. This is a verbal portrait of themselves as teachers that others may read to understand their pedagogical ideals and strategies. This document should be included in the portfolio (Standard 5).
6. Professional goals statement
Candidates will develop a statement outlining their professional goals pertaining to their teaching career. Candidates will outline their continuing education goals and self-development ideals. This document should be included in the portfolio (Standard 5).