EC 645 Observation and Assessment of the Young Child (4 semester credits)

Programs: M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education

Catalog Description: Assessment of young children, with an emphasis on critically evaluating existing
formal and informal tests for use in diverse classrooms based upon principles of assessment in early
childhood education. Application exercises in settings with young children involve students in
conducting classroom assessments with young children. Appropriate assessment strategies across the
curriculum, organization and analysis of assessment data, reporting to parents, administrators and school
teams, and using assessment information in daily planning are key course topics.

Authorized Instructor(s): Dr. Shannan McNair, Associate Professor

Prerequisites: Completion of EC 540 and EC 542 or EC 544

Required Textbook(s) and/or Readings:

McAfee, 0. & Leong, D. (2002). Assessing and Guiding Young Children's Development and Learning.
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Michigan Curriculum Framework available online at
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MichiganCurriculumFramework_8172_7.pdf

Recommended:

Bredekamp, S.& Rosegrant, T. (1996). Reaching Potentials: Transforming Early Childhood Curriculum
and Assessment. Vol 2.Washington, D.C: NAEYC.



Learning Goals for Candidate Performance:

1. Students will review contemporary issues in assessment and guidelines for appropriate, authentic
assessment of young children and critically examine alternative perspectives regarding the
assessment of young children.
2. Students will expand their understanding of child assessment theory and practice and explore the
implications for teaching related to child assessment.
3. Students will learn various methods of observing, interpreting, and assessing the learning
experience and behavior of young children, the environment and the delivery system.
4. Students will define, and assess their professional capacities and competencies, as they engage in
reflection on their teaching practice as it relates to observation and assessment.
5. Students will critically evaluate readings, class experiences, and their own work with children in
classroom settings to gain an understanding of and experience with a variety of curriculum and
assessment concepts.
6. Students will learn how to assess young children from diverse cultural and language backgrounds,
children of different ages and developmental levels, including children with disabilities,
developmental delays, children at-risk for developmental delays, and children with special abilities.
7. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between curriculum and assessment
practices, using assessment information to plan experiences for children that reflect their interests,
abilities and learning styles.
8. Students will use knowledge of key learning objectives appropriate for children from birth through
age eight, and use national curriculum standards and the Michigan Curriculum Framework to plan
experiences for children.
9. Students will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as a member of a team with other
students to plan effective assessment strategies.
10. Students will access and consider interdisciplinary knowledge from such fields as special
education, speech pathology, physical therapy and psychology through professional settings and
Internet sites. Students will also gain an awareness of interdisciplinary knowledge from such
fields as biology, engineering, botany, chemistry, physics and computer science as they access
information from professionals in these fields to plan meaningful science, mathematics and
technology experiences and to assess those experiences in settings with young children.

Course Topics:

1. Contemporary issues and alternative perspectives regarding assessment
2. Authentic assessment and formal testing
3. Formative and summative assessment
4. Reflecting, examining and building upon ones understanding of assessment and own professional
capacities and competencies.
5. State and national goals, objectives and guidelines for assessment of young children, with a focus on
math and science
6. State and national curriculum standards: relating assessment to standards
7. Child observation and systematic anecdotal recording
8. Observing, recording, organizing, documenting and interpreting assessment information; environment
and delivery system
9. Strategies for identifying and minimizing bias in child assessment
10. Assessing children with special needs, and children from diverse backgrounds.
11. Assessing the "whole" child - cognitive, social, physical, creative, language and initiative domain
12. Scaffolding
13.Performance assessment, checklists, rubrics, representations, work samples and running records
14.Portfolio development
15.Child self-assessment
16. Interviewing and communicating with parents
17. Using technology in the assessment process
18. Accessing and working with other professionals; team assessment


Methods of Instruction for Online Component: Online lecture notes, discussion questions,
discussion of readings, cooperative online groups, individual conferences, researching relevant web
resources, participation in application exercises, engaging in self-assessment

Performance Assessment:

1. Answer (in writing) application, analysis and synthesis questions that reveal the students
understanding of the connection between appropriate practice and assessment, and the cycle of teaching,
learning and assessment with reference to contemporary issues.
2. Write reflective journal entries and documentation narratives relating field experience with children
to theory and teaching practice. Provide written analyses of childrens learning and expressions of
interest
3. Using reflective writing, discussions in class and online, individual conferencing, and class
presentations, demonstrate an understanding of own professional capacities and competencies.
4. Observe children, write extensive anecdotal notes, and plan experiences for students of varying ages
with reference to the environment, delivery system and childrens individual needs and
backgrounds.
5. Conduct and document a variety of assessments including, but not limited to pre- and post-
assessments, math and science journal entries, embedded assessment, child self-assessment, parent and
child interviews, science and math work samples, creative representation across the curriculum, rubrics,
checklists, assessments including technology, on-going classroom documentation of project work.
6. Present an assessment strategy in class based upon class readings, outside research, and experience.
7. Develop assessment plans for preschool and elementary age childrenbased upon national and State of
Michigan standards and curriculum frameworks.
8. Develop essential questions in curriculum for different age groups, plan experiences to foster concept
building around essential questions, and relevant assessment.
9. Demonstrate and understanding of effective development of a child summary based on the childs
growth and development across the curriculum.
10. Present information about a meaningful learning experience from this class to a group of peers.
11. Use technology to collect assessment data, organize assessment date, report information to
parents, and to help children to gain experience with projection microscope, computers, scanners,
cameras, video cameras, digital cameras, palm-computers (for anecdotal note-taking) and others.
12. Demonstrate skills for working collaboratively and effectively as a group member.
13. Demonstrate the ability to access and apply interdisciplinary knowledge in planning for and
assessing young children

Course Requirements and Grading

1. For the online class, complete the requirements for participation, including a minimum number of
discussion postings.

The grade assigned for the course will be S or U. A satisfactory assessment by course instructor is
required to
pass the course.

Recommended Textbook(s) and/or Readings for further study:

Barman, C., Stein, M., Barman, N., and McNair, S. (2002). Assessing students ideas about plants.
Science & Children. 10(1): 25-29.

Bredekamp, S. & Rosegrant, T. (1992). Reaching Potentials: Appropriate Curriculum and
Assessment for Young Children. Vol I.Washington, D.C: NAEYC.

Bredekamp, S.& Rosegrant, T. (1996). Reaching Potentials: Transforming Early Childhood Curriculum
and Assessment. Vol 2.Washington, D.C: NAEYC.

Gene-Holt, B. (1975). Science for Young Children. Washington, DC: NAEYC

Helm, J . H., Beneke, S., Steinheimer, K. (1998). Windows on Learning, Teachers College Press

Stein, M., McNair, S. & Butcher, J . (reprinted 2003/originally 2001). Drawing on their understanding:
Using illustrations to invoke deeper thinking about animals. This was a Science and Children, J anuary
2001 that was accepted for inclusion in a 2003 Science Education Annual Edition.

Hong, S. & McNair, S. (January 2003) Documentation of childrens project
work: A tool for fostering reflection and reconstruction in preservice and inservice teachers.
J ournal of Early Education and Family Review

McNair, S., Bhargava, A., Adams, L, Edgerton, S., Kypros, B. (2003). Teachers talk about
assessment practices: lessons for teacher education programs. Early Childhood Education
J ournal.


McNair, S., Sullivan, R. & Hill, D. ( 2002). Beyond the comfort zone: A curriculum and assessment
immersion experience in graduate early childhood teacher education. J ournal of Early Childhood
Teacher Education.

McNair, S. & Stein, M. (November, 2002). Science Drawings as a Window into Understanding
Childrens Science Concepts. Paper presented, at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for the
Education of Young Children in New York City, November, 2002.

McNair, S. & Stein, M. (March 2001). Drawing on their understanding: Using illustrations to invoke
deeper thinking about plants. In the peer-reviewed proceedings of the Annual International Conference
of the Association for the Education of Teachers of Science, J anuary 2001.

Stenmark, J . (1991). Mathematics assessment: Myths, models, good questions and practical
suggestions. Reston, VA: NCTM

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