EDUT512: Section 001

Prerequisites:
Admission to the UTEEM program and enrollment in all related strand courses and an internship.

Fall 2001
Fridays, 9:00-4:00
3 credit hours
Higher Horizons Head Start

Stephanie Kent, MA

This course is offered as one of the strands in the Unified Transformative Early Education Model (UTEEM), a teacher training program providing an integrated approach to preparing teachers to work with diverse young children and their families.  Teachers are prepared to work with diverse learning needs in a variety of school and community settings.  The assessment strand is offered in conjunction with three other strands and is linked to a full-time field placement with diverse young children.  Students participating in this course are enrolled full time as a cohort in the UTEEM program.  Registration is limited to admitted students or those with special permission from the program administrators.

Course Description:

This course provides students with an understanding of the forms, functions, methods, and roles of assessment for planning and implementing effective early childhood programs for young children ages three to five from diverse cultures and with varied learning needs.  The students will learn to use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluation and assessment.  They will also learn about technological adaptations to enhance the assessment process.  Students will gain an understanding of appropriate strategies for conducting, reporting, and decision making related to specific functions of assessment.  They will learn about assessment strategies necessary for second language learners and about adaptations for children with disabilities.  They will use selected assessment strategies with young children in their field placements and are expected to become competent in the use of authentic assessment strategies to describe a child’s learning strengths and instructional needs.  This course is taken concurrent with a field placement, and it is expected that applied assignments can be completed on site with children and families enrolled in the program.  Any variations must be negotiated with the instructor and planned with the cooperating professional and university supervisor.

Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will:

The outcomes for this course address competencies for licensure for teachers in early childhood education and early childhood special education as identified by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Required Texts:

McAfee, O. & Leong, D. (1997).  Assessing and guiding young children’s development and learning.  Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0-205-14018-1.

Linder, T.W.  (1993).  Transdisciplinary play-based assessment.  Paul Brookes.  ISBN 1-5576-162-6.

Cohen, D., Stern, V. & Balaban, B. (1997).  Observing and recording the behavior of youn children.  New York: Teachers College Press.

Course Format:

This class meets as a full day seminar every other week over the course of the semester.  This enables students to continuously link what they are doing in their field sites with what they will be learning in class. The class will have a seminar format, requires active participation of all students, and will use guest lecturers from the university and community to support content from readings.  Class assignments are applied to field sites and linked to assignments in the other strands. The course syllabus will be shared with the cooperating professional at students’ field sites as well as with their university supervisors.  This should be done early on so a plan can be made to incorporate assignments into the internship experience.  Conflicts must be discussed and negotiated with the course instructor.

Course Requirements:

Students will be expected to:

1. Attend all class sessions (unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor).

2. As a part of a group, become familiar with one formal assessment and present it to the class.

3. Maintain a reflective, interactive dialogue journal to be shared with program faculty.

4. Become familiar with one child at field site through the use of several authentic assessment strategies used over time and develop an assessment portfolio for that child.

5. Use assessment strategies, including an analysis of children’s interests and preferences to guide integrated planning in the classroom.

Course Grading:

1. Participation and preparation for class.                                          10%
2. Analysis of Observational Strategies.                                             10%
3. Team Project: Practice Assessments                                              20%
4. Classroom Interest/Preference Analysis                                          20%
5. Individual Child Study/Assessment Portfolio                                   40%

A  96-100           B+  86-89                  C  70-79
A-  90-95            B    80-85                  F   below 70

Course Topics:

September 7:   Overview of Course. Review of Syllabus. Defining Assessment.  Observation
                       Approaches. History and Legislative Requirements.  Family Centered Assessment.
                       Cohen et al., jigsaw.  Linder, Chapter 11, jigsaw

September 21:  Anne Taggart (Guest Speaker): Assessing Social Emotional Competence in Children ages 3 to 5.  Review of
Assessment Approaches at Field Sites.
                       Site Assessment Cards due.

October 5:        Introduction to Authentic Assessment Strategies. Strategies for Learning
                       About Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Young Children in Natural Contexts.
                       Read Mcafee, 4 &5; Linder, Chapters 1,2, 3
                        Observational strategy assignment due.
                        Guest Speaker

October 19:  Combined Development/Assessment Observation Discussion
                       Interest Preference Analysis due
                        Heidemann & Hewitt, Appendix 3..Play Checklist

November 2:  Authentic Assessment Strategies (continued).  Strategies for learning about
                        Children with severe disabilities in natural contexts.  Play-based assessment.
                        Using assessment of children’s interests and preferences for individual and
                        Group planning.  Technology Adaptations in assessment for ability diverse
                        Learners.
                        Read Linder 4 &5; Linder Chap. 6-9-jigsaw.
                         TEAM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS DUE
                         Discussion of Child Study Portfolio Progress

November 5- November 30:     No Class, full time field placement.

 
December 7:     Linking Assessment to the “Big Picture”.  The Child Find Process, interpreting              assessment with families and other professionals. Reporting Assessment Results. Developing Individual Education Plans
                         Read McAfee, Chapter 7, 10 & 11; Linder, Chapter 10
                         Guest Panel
 
Description of Assignments:

1. Site Assessments. (10 points)  During your first week at the site, find out what types of assessments are used at that site.  Consider the broad definition of assessment we use in class.  Obtain copies of the assessment if possible.  Bring the assessments to class for in-class sharing and discussion.  Review the assessment prior to class and note key points on an index card to be turned in.  Due: Sept. 21

2. Observational Strategy Analysis (10 points).  For this class, development and the language strands, you are gathering information about children through anecdotal records and audio taping.  For this course, prepare a short analysis of the observational strategies you have used to date.  You must use at least two different strategies, ideally all focusing on the same child.  In your paper, describe the strategies you used, include the formats please, describe what you learned about the child so far, describe the strengths and limitations of each strategy, and discuss how each might best be used to guide instructional planning. Due: Oct. 5

3. Interest/Preference Analysis (20 points).  Assignments in each of the strands can contribute to planning for groups of children. Using your knowledge of observational strategies, develop a format for noting children’s interests and preferences to guide your planning for a thematic unit for the curriculum strand.  Keep a record of activities, materials, spaces, events etc. that seem to engage children.  Look for shared interests and preferences.  Discuss cultural, linguistic, and ability factors.  In a paper, describe what you learned and discuss how your observations might help you plan for a group of children during your full time field placement in November.  Support your conclusions with references to the readings.  Your paper must include a description of how you gathered the information (e.g., the observation formats), and any limitations or further information needs. Due Oct. 19

4. Team Assessment Project (20 points). In groups of four, select a commercially published assessment indicated for use with children aged three to five.  Read the manual and instructions carefully.  Try the assessment out with each other, with children you know and at your site.  Critically evaluate the assessment from your own perspective, from the perspective of class readings, from the perspective of cultural, linguistic and ability appropriateness, from the perspective of usefulness for families and from your experiences at the site.  As a group, prepare a written product and in-class presentation.  Your task is to give your classmates a working knowledge of this assessment from a critical perspective.  Include the following information:

a. Publication information. Title, publisher, recommended age range, stated purpose, scope, standardization, stated limitations.
b. Description of what you did and what you learned from administering the assessment.
c. Critical analysis.  Give your general reaction.  What do you see as strengths, limitations of the assessment?  Support your position with information from the readings, class discussion, your experience on site.  In particular, evaluate the assessment for cultural and linguistic bias, as well as for appropriate use for children with disabilities, and for the appropriateness and usefulness of the assessment for families.

d. Supporting information.  Locate at least three articles out of current journals that
may be relevant to this assessment.  Provide complete citations and discuss the relevance of these articles to your understanding of the particular assessment you chose.  If at all possible, interview staff and parents at your site about their impressions of the assessment.

Prepare a complete paper for the instructor and a reference handout for all of your classmates.  In class, you will do a 30 minute presentation on the assessment and your experiences.  Please let the instructor know if you will require a VCR.  Due Nov 2

Individual Child Study/Portfolio (40 points).  You will be selecting a child in your field site for intensive study and to practice authentic assessment strategies.  The result of this activity will be a child portfolio containing materials to support your written description of what you learned about the child, a gathering and interpreting of the material. Assignments in the separate strands (classes) can be linked to this portfolio; e.g., language sample assignments, emergent literacy assignment, development observations can all become parts of the portfolio. This assignment will be accomplished in several steps.  The final product will be a formal written paper to include a discussion of implications of your findings for classroom planning with recommendations and analysis, as well as an in-class presentation.  Ideally, you will use direct information from the child as well as from staff and family members.  We encourage you to make contact with the family if at all possible.  Note dates on the syllabus when you will have opportunities to discuss your progress.  For your final presentation, compile the materials you have accumulated and develop a portfolio for the child you have been studying. Part I of this assignment is to prepare a narrative (paper) to accompany the portfolio and include: description of the approach you took, including all sources of information- classroom, home, play; rationale for the approach; brief summary of the portfolio contents; description of the child, including what you have seen in all key domains of development, including emergent literacy; discussion of what you have learned about the child, including learning style; implications of teaching; implications for collaborating with the child’s family, as well as a discussion of how you will validate your impressions with the family; and a critique of your approach and what you might change the next time.  Part II is prepare a summary of your portfolio to share with classmates and faculty on the due dates.  This will be the culmination of the semester’s work in all classes and at your internship site.  You will be telling a child’s story.  Share from your observations what you think the child is wondering, what the child is interested in.  Include what you planned for the child (activities etc) and why.  How did the child’s performance or actions influence how you viewed the child.  Reflect your interactions with your focus child, ask what did I do well and what I did not do well and what I would do next time.  Please include what your interactions were with the family, visits, notes etc.  Include what transitions are (where was the child before he/she came to the center and where he/she will be next year).  Due Dec 12 and 13