Discussion: Engaging Families in the Assessment Process and Communicating Assessment Data
What do you know about assessment that you did not know before? Can you clearly articulate the importance of assessment in early childhood practice? For this discussion, you will look back at the many elements of assessment and determine seven points that you feel every early childhood educator should consider when looking at assessment and data-driven decision making.
You will also examine how to foster family engagement in the assessment process, how to advocate for young children and their parents, and how to communicate results of assessment in a culturally responsive way. Early childhood educators should be able to explain their choice of assessment, explain the data collected in a way parents can understand, and provide a rationale for their decisions. This course has provided you with the information to be successful. Begin to practice now.
To prepare:
· Review and reflect on all the Learning Resources provided throughout the course. Choose the seven most important points you feel every early childhood educator should know about assessment. Consider the importance of engaging families in the assessment process and your current position in the early childhood education profession. Consider how you would share assessment data with the families of your students. You may wish to conduct independent research to find additional information. As you conduct research for this discussion, feel free to share resources to prepare for the upcoming presentations during this module.
Seefeldt, C. (2002). Assessment: Partnering with parents. Scholastic Early Childhood Today, 17(1), 15–18.
