Assessments

to Inform
and Monitor
Instruction

CLARENCE IBE
Instructional Assessment
a process that informs parents, child
care providers, classroom personnel, and
specialists about what children already
know and are able to do, what they are
expected to be learning next, and how
quickly they are progressing.
IMPORTANCE
Instructional assessment is
necessary to provide a starting
point, continual feedback, and
periodic review of the effectiveness
of teaching and learning.
EXAMPLES
portfolios of childrens work
anecdotal records
developmental checklists,
and timings for oral reading
uency and math computation
COMPONENTS
Screening
Diagnostic
program evaluation assessments
Purposes of
Assessments
to Inform and
Monitor
Instruction
Purposes of Assessments to
Inform and Monitor Instruction

1. The primary purpose for

instructional assessments is the
identication of developmental and
academic competencies for
individual children and monitoring of
progress over time
Purposes of Assessments to
Inform and Monitor Instruction
2. Classroom or instructional
assessments also serve the purpose
of providing a foundation for
development of the individualized
plans required in Head Start, ECEAP,
early intervention, and special
education programs
Purposes of Assessments to
Inform and Monitor Instruction

3. A third purpose of instructional

assessment is to yield information
that is immediately relevant for
children and parents
Characteristics
of
Instructional
Assessments
A. It should measure:

1. specific performances,
2. preference,
3. profiles,
4. abilities of children individually/group.

B. It should:
= provide important aspect of learning and
development on childrens complete
repertoires.
C. It should be
= criteria based comparing childs performance
with specific set of performance standards.

D. It must:
= directly reflect the content of childs
learning.
For infants, toddlers and preschoolers,
instructional assessments address the
following areas of development:

Physical and motor

Social and emotional
Approaches to learning
Language and communication
Cognitive
General knowledge
Assessment to
Inform and
Monitor Early
Academic
Instruction
Recommended Practices in Assessment
to Inform and Monitor Instruction
The best instructional assessment
information is collected frequently
and used continuously to inform
curriculum and instruction decisions.
Assessment to inform and monitor
instruction is most accurate if
multiple sources are considered and
multiple methods used.
Recommended Practices in Assessment
to Inform and Monitor Instruction
Methods used to collect instructional
assessment information should
resemble ongoing instruction and the
interactions of home, child care
centers, and classrooms.
Assessment instruments should be
criterion-referenced with items that
reflect functional skills.
Recommended Practices in Assessment
to Inform and Monitor Instruction

Instructional assessment
instruments and procedures
must be culturally and
linguistically relevant
Methods for Collecting Ongoing
Assessment Information

OBSERVATIONS
INTERVIEWS
PERMANENT PRODUCTS OF
CHILDRENs WORK
DIRECT ASSESSMENT