Part one
Discussion: Effective Selection and Use of Assessments
How do you determine the best assessment for the information you need to make decisions? Should it be formative or summative? Informal or formal? Are you measuring for cognitive, emotional, linguistic, physical, or social development or something else? Is it for intervention? How do you select the proper assessment for what you wish to measure?
For this Discussion, you will examine various assessments and their purpose, along with validity and reliability. Validity and reliability are two terms rarely discussed in early childhood education. As such, educators often forget their importance. This Discussion will take you step by step through the process of selecting and evaluating assessments for young children. The component of this Discussion will repeat itself with different age groups in this course to allow you to practice effective selection and use of assessments.
To prepare:
· Choose one group from the following: infants, toddlers, or preschool-aged children.
· Then, research and list four different assessments that could be used (one for each: formative, summative, informal, and formal) with the selected group.
· Review the Learning Resources in this module. Specifically, review the Mental Measurements Yearbook and verify the information posted on use, validity, and reliability or find research discussing the selected assessments.
· Read and reflect on the Dalton and Brand (2012); Fuhs, Farran, and Nesbitt (2015); Guddemi, et al. (2014); Pyle and DeLuca (2013); Panturu (2014); MA Child Care Resources (n.d.) (for a list of common assessments); and NBPTS (2012) resources, as well as “The Assessment Presentation” (media) and recommended readings.
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ979436
http://www.academia.edu/2236966/33_Best_Practices_in_Play_Assessment_and_Intervention
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=103869745&site=ehost-live&scope=site&authtype=shib&custid=s6527200
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244014528918
