Assessments

Assessments, Assessments, Assessments
It seems like these days education talk centers around Assessments. Some assessments are easier to assess then others. Class Levels, Ethnic Status, Social Status, Income Status, and Learning Disabilities all play a part in assessments, some good some bad. 

Purpose and Learning Outcome:
The purpose of this assessment plan is to provide a baseline of learning to understand where a student stands in the general learning process at the start or end of a school term. To meet this assessment, several learning objectives are necessary. 

• List ABC's in Correct Alphabetical Order.
• Recite Numbers in order 1 to 10.
• Define/Describe 5 general shapes, (Star, Heart, Circle, Square, Triangle)
• Identify 3 Primary Colors: Red, Blue, Yellow

Assessment Context:

• Have child name each primary color as child uses that color to make an art project. 
• Ask Child to describe a Circle? Square? Triangle? Heart? Start?
• Write each number down as states that number. 
• Holistic Rubric:

Number of Colors correct 1, 2, or 3. Number of times Consistently Correct 1, 2 or 3. 

Testing Constraints: Individual time assessment with child during a non chaotic time period. 

Rationale

The Rationale is very simple. Then again its for the youngest group of students. If its not simple then they can not do it.
Recite: the knowledge that a child understands that there are letters in the alphabet and that these letters have an order that is followed. Practice of this process is one of the ABC songs. Typical testing does not work with children of this age group, primarily due to the fact that these children can not write or read properly yet. So reliance on other testing must be used. Reciting. Repetition.
Build: count as child adds blocks to a block tower. Stop the count when the tower falls. Building.
Sort: Sort three or four colors into the proper color coded containers. Count the correctly sorted color coded cats. Sorting shapes or colors.
Identify and Describe: Identify and describe six of the basic shapes. Essay items have the student give the teacher the answers instead of choosing between answers. (Kubiszyn, and Borich, 2012)

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are very important when you are teaching students. The learning outcomes that you decide on for your students need to be developmentally appropriate, and the learning activities that accompany the outcomes need to be understandable by students. There are two different types of learning outcomes, those that are observable and those that are not. (Kubiszyn and Borich 2012)

Grade Level: Early Childhood Education

1) Demonstrate knowledge of the alphabet by reciting ABC's in correct order. (Measure by counting how many correct from 1-26. )
2) Create a ten block tower by adding block on top of block. (Measure by counting how many blocks out of 10)
3) Sort cats into correctly colored bins. (Count the number of cats, correctly sorted into color coded bins)

Test Item #1:
Ask student to recite ABC's, Place a checkmark next to each correct letter (in order). Allow only 3 misses before stopping.
Test Item #2:
Have a child build a block tower with blocks. Count as the child adds blocks. When the tower falls stop the count.
Test Item #3:
Place 3 or 4 different colored toy cats in front of child, place 3 or 4 color coded containers in front of child. Have child place a colored cat in the correct color coded container. Count the number of cats correctly sorted into color coded bins.

I really was having a very hard time coming up with an essay item for the previous learning outcomes I had listed. So I created another learning outcome and a matching essay item that is as age appropriate as possible for an early head start setting.
4) List and describe six basic shapes.

Essay Item:
Teacher writes down as student identifies a shape and describes it for the teacher. Square. Circle. Rectangle. Heart. Star. Triangle.