The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for
Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
Definition
A process in which the teacher systematically observes and records information about the child's level of development and/or knowledge, skills, and attitudes in order to make a determination about what has been learned, improve teaching, and support children's progress. A checklist or notes are often used to record what has been observed.
Related Terms (Not Synonyms)
Alternative assessment; Assessment; Authentic assessment; Developmental assessment; Evaluation; Formal Assessment; Informal assessment; Performance-based assessment; Portfolio assessment; Standards-based assessment; Test
Explanatory Comments
- Effective observational assessment involves
- recording children's behavior at the time it occurs;
- training observers (preferably classroom teachers) so that they are impartial and follow specific procedures for recording children's behavior; and
- recording behavioral descriptions that require minimal inference
- Observational systems may have been subjected to rigorous examination of psychometric properties or may be locally developed.
- Many early childhood educators believe that observational assessment is the most valid form of assessment for use with young children because of their limited ability to show what they know through conventional pencil and paper tests.
Web Sources
Manitoba Ministry of Education. Education and Youth. Reporting on student progress and achievement: Glossary. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/docs/policy/reporting/glossary.html
High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. The High/Scope Child Observation Record. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.highscope.org/Assessment/cor.htm
Other Resources
Brown, W.H., Odom, S.L., & Holcombe, A. (1996). "Observational assessment of young children's social behavior with peers." Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 11, 19-40.
Cohen, D.H., Stern, V., & Balaban, N. (1997). Observing and recording the behavior of young children, (4th Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Hills, T.W. (1993). "Assessment in context -Teachers and children at work." Young Children 48(5), 20-28.
Meisels, S.J., Harrington, H.L., McMahon, P., Dichtelmiller, M.L., & Jablon, J.R. (2002). Thinking like a teacher: Using observational assessment to improve teaching and learning. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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