The center where I am conducting my field work for this
course is located in Washington. It is a
large center with approximately three hundred students enrolled between the
ages of twelve months and twelve years.
Approximately one hundred and seventy-five of these students are either
preschoolers or kindergarten students; this is the age group I am focusing most
on with regard to my topic-assessment. I
began by speaking with director to form an understanding of any assessment that
currently occurs at the center. She
directed me to speak with the program supervisor whose duties include training
teachers, purchasing supplies, and maintaining the quality of curriculum in
each classroom. She explained to me that
the preschoolers use a science-based inquiry curriculum that helps them to better
understand the world around them. She
informed me that the teachers are not required nor trained to do assessments on
their students. She told me that she
expects teachers to informally assess their students to aid them in the creation
of tray materials and changing out materials in the block and dramatic play
areas. The preschoolers have access to
Montessori –like trays in their classrooms that relate to curriculum or fine
motor development as well as, writing and math.
The program supervisor told me that these, as well as materials and toys
in the block and dramatic play centers should be changed out at least every two
weeks and the teachers should use the student’s interests and abilities to
guide in them in deciding what materials to bring in their classroom. I asked the program supervisor if she is
aware of the types of assessments her teachers could be utilizing and their benefits. She explained that while valuable she does
not deem it necessary to require her teachers to use these tools at this time.
After speaking with the program supervisor I went around and
quickly surveyed the preschool teachers asking if they used any type of formal
or informal assessment with their students.
I was surprised to find that all most all of the teachers quickly
responded with “no”, and some seemed defensive and ready to defend their
answer. After a few moments thought
several of the teachers told me that they do use informal assessments such as
observations. One preschool teacher told
me she utilizes play-based assessments in her classroom but usually doesn’t
record her observations. Almost all
teachers brought up the Kindering Center, which is a service provided to
centers in the area. If a teacher has
concerns about a child’s development, Kindering will come out and assess the student
and make recommendations if necessary. I
was surprised to find that most teachers down-played the informal assessment
they conduct and only focused on the students who stand out as “different” and in
need of assessment. It made me excited
to bring my knowledge about how useful assessment is for all students
regardless of developmental level. I am
looking forward to validating the informal assessment being utilized by these
teachers and bringing to light the benefits of assessment for teachers,
students, and their families.
Next I went to the Kindergarten room to speak with the teachers
about the kinds of assessments they utilize.
There are thirty-eight students and three teachers in this private Kindergarten
classroom. The classroom is quite large and
has an adjoining classroom one group of students use. The teacher I spoke with was very helpful and
told me that each student is assessed one-on-one at the beginning of the year
to determine the skills they have, mainly in the areas of math and language
arts. These assessment results are used
to determine what each child can do and what level they are working at. The students are divided into groups for
instruction based on these results so that they receive instruction tailored to
meet their needs. The students are then
assessed on a daily basis throughout the year on their ability to learn
concepts; this information aids in the teacher’s planning of curriculum. At the end of each quarter, assessments are
undertaken for all concepts learned to inform parents of progress either at a
conference or on the report card. At the
end of the year the formal and informal assessment information is gathered and
teachers use this information to determine if the students have met the requirements
for kindergarten. All this information
was very exciting for me as I am used to my own experience in preschool. It was nice to get an inside view of
assessment for primary students.
The time I spent with teachers this module helped me greatly
in focusing my research in the area of assessment. While a little disappointed with the knowledge
most preschool teachers had with regard to assessment, I am excited to advocate
for this essential component of an early childhood classroom.
