Pre - k Assessment Learning Curve

I have to admit...I have always loved learning stuff and loved it more if there seemed to be a challenge or perhaps some cloud of mystery around the topic. Just like when I first got into technology....I read manuels after manuels.....how to this...how to that....anyway...not that I have even come close to mastering everything that's out there...I do enjoy a certain comfort level of knowing whatever it is....I can probably learn how or figure out how to do it.

That being said....my latest challenge revolves around a committee I am facilitating. The committee is charged with basically figuring out a way to link teacher effectiveness with student outcomes. The grade range that we are dealing with is pre K through third grade. I am in no shape, form, or fashion an expert in early childhood. I had two kids....but, that surely didn't qualify me as expert.

I have begun my research for formative assessments for that age group. I started collecting my resources and made a special folder for them on my www.portaportal.com. If you want to peak at them, you can just enter barbaradenson in the guest login box. Interesting...I think I would be having better luck at finding hen's teeth. I finally ran across an article this morning that looks promising. It is on the Pre K Now website. I haven't gotten to specific assessments yet....but some guidance now that helps me understand. You can view the article in its entirety at http://www.preknow.org/policy/assessment.cfm

Here's the paragraph that was most enlightening to me....

"Common Practices for Good Assessments
The National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force (PDF), a group of nationally renowned education and early childhood-development experts, was established to study and outline accountability measures that could be effective for early education programs. Pre-K Now shares their view that all assessments must be:

Comprehensive - measuring student skills across the development spectrum (i.e., cognitive, emotional, social, linguistic, and physical),

Ongoing - recording student gains over time rather than capturing only a snapshot of a student's developmental level, and

Contextual - conducted in the classroom environment when students are engaging with their peers and teachers.

In their research, the NRC stressed the importance of clarity of purpose: States should be explicit about the goal of the assessment, whether to determine the progress of individual children or to gauge program effectiveness. In addition, to provide valuable, reliable findings, early education assessments must be standardized; that is, they must utilize consistent evaluation and data-collection methodologies across programs and localities. Also, assessments must involve all students, including English language learners and children with disabilities, and must be appropriate for measuring gains across diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ability levels."

I think better when I teach the concept to others...or perhaps just hear myself say it out loud. My husband claims to have a Doctorate too because he had to listen to every single thing I learned and or did while getting mine. I am finding though that writing helps me to organize my thoughts in a similar method....I bet I will be on here a bunch till we make it to the top....or wait...was the race just to get the grant? At any rate....thanks for reading along!