Observing and Interacting With Professionals/Colleagues in Your Setting

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.