College of Education and Human Development s2

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

EDSE 656/ EDUT 512 Assessment of Diverse Young Learners 3-5 VII. Spring 2009 Wednesdays 7:20- 10:00 p.m. Krug Hall 5 PROFESSOR (S): Name: Debra Fulcher Phone: 703-314-2390 Office hours: By appointment Email address: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A. Prerequisites: Admission to Graduate School of Education in George Mason University or permission of the instructor.

B. Course description: This course provides students with an understanding of the forms, functions, methods, and roles of assessment for planning and implementing effective early childhood programs for young children, ages three to five, from diverse cultures and with varied learning needs. The students will explore both quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluation and assessment. They will learn about technological adaptations to enhance the assessment process. Students will gain an understanding of appropriate strategies for conducting, reporting, and decision making related to specific functions of assessment. They will learn about assessment strategies necessary for second language learners and about adaptations for children with disabilities. They will use selected assessment strategies with young children in their field placements and are expected to become competent in the use of authentic assessment strategies to describe a child’s learning strengths and instructional needs.

Course Format: Students will connect classroom knowledge with field experiences. Course assignments are closely linked with field experiences and can be completed on site with children and families enrolled in the program. The class is conducted in a seminar format and includes community observations and guest lecturers to enhance the content from the readings. Active participation of all students is required. STUDENT OUTCOMES AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS: The outcomes for this course address competencies for licensure for teachers in early childhood education and early childhood special education as identified by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Upon successful completion of the course students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the various forms and functions of assessment used with young children. (NEAYC 3; CEC CC8K1-4; CEC EC8S2)

2. Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of authentic assessment strategies to learn about a child and plan for group and individual instruction. (NAEYC 1, 3; CEC CC7S13, 8S1, 8S2, 8S3; CEC EC8S1)

3. Demonstrate the ability to incorporate a variety of assessment strategies into the daily routine in order to document learning and developmental progress and to adjust teaching. (NAEYC 3; CEC CC7S4, 8S5)

4. Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and adapt the assessment process to ensure family and cultural relevance, to reduce language bias, and to reduce the impact of disability on the assessment. (NAEYC 1, 2, 3, 4a; CEC CC7S3, 8S1, 8S4, 8S6)

5. Report assessment results in a manner that is relevant for family members and other staff and that highlights children’s strengths and capacities. (NAEYC 2, 3, 4a; CEC CC8S5, 8S7. EC8S3-6)

6. Demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain an ongoing system for documenting children’s progress in the classroom context. (NAEYC 3; CEC CC8S9)

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Cohen, D., Stern, V., & Balaban, B. (2008). Observing and recording the behavior of young children. New York: Teachers College Press.

McAfee, O. & Leong, D. (2006). Assessing and guiding young children’s development and learning. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Puckett, M. & Black, J. (2008). Authentic assessment of the young child: Celebrating development and learning. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: 1. The completion of all readings assigned for the course is assumed. Because the class is structured around discussion and small group activities pertaining to assessment of young children, it is imperative that students keep up with the readings and participate in class. 2. Class attendance is important. If, due to an emergency, students will not be in class, they must call the instructor and leave a message. 3. The university requires that all pagers and cell phones be turned off before class begins. 4. It is expected that assignments be turned in on time (the beginning of the class in which they are due). However, it is recognized that graduate students occasionally have serious problems that prevent work completion. If such a dilemma arises, students should speak to the instructor in a timely fashion.

GRADING SCALE

A = 95-100 A- = 90-94 B+ = 87-89 B = 83-86 B- = 80-82 C = 70-79 F = Below 79

EVALUATION CRITERIA: 1. Participation and preparation for class; 10 points a) Participate in class discussions and activities, demonstrating knowledge of assigned readings and site experiences b) Completion of all class assignments (on-time) unless prior arrangements are made.

2. Interest/Preference Analysis 15 points

3. Team Assessment Project 25 points

4. Formal Assessment Used with Preschool Children 20 points and Written Report

5. Individual Child/Study/Portfolio 30 points DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Interest Preference Analysis (15 points)

Students, using their knowledge of observational strategies, are to develop a format for documenting children’s interests and preferences to guide their planning for a classroom. Begin with an observation of 30 minutes in the classroom during free play. Keep a record of activities, materials, spaces, events, play partners etc that seem to engage children. Look for shared interests and preferences. Discuss cultural, linguistic and ability factors. In a paper, they are to describe what they learned and discuss how their observations might help them to plan for a group of children. Students will support their conclusions with references to class readings. Their paper must include a description of how the information was collected (including the observation formats) as well as any limitations or further information needs. Undergraduate students may use a published observation protocol for this project.

Due on: February 18, 2009

2. Team Assessment Project (25 points) In groups of three, students are to select a commercially published assessment indicated for use with children between three to five years of age. Read the manual and instructions carefully. Try the assessment out with each other, as well as with three children from different backgrounds who are between the ages of 3-5. Each team member should administer the assessment to one child. Critically evaluate the assessment from one’s own perspective, from the perspective of class readings, from the perspective of cultural, linguistic and ability appropriateness, from the perspective of usefulness for families and from one’s experiences at the site. As a group, prepare a written product and in-class presentation. The students’ task is to give their classmates a working knowledge of this assessment from a critical perspective. Include the following information:

a. Publication information. Students will include title, publisher, recommended age range, stated purpose, scope, standardization, and stated limitations. b. Description. Students will describe what they did and what they learned from administering the assessment. c. Critical analysis. Students will give their general reaction. What did they see as strengths, and/or limitations of the assessment? Students will support their position with information from the readings, class discussion, and their experience on site. In particular, they will evaluate the assessment for cultural and linguistic bias, as well as for appropriate use for children with disabilities, and for the appropriateness and usefulness of the assessment for families. d. Supporting information. Students will locate at least three articles out of current journals that may be relevant to this assessment. They will provide complete citations and discuss the relevance of these articles to their understanding of the particular assessment they chose. If at all possible, students will interview staff and parents at their site about their impressions of the assessment.

Students will prepare a complete paper for the instructor and a reference handout for all of their classmates. In class, each team will present a 15-minute presentation on the assessment and share their experiences.

Due on: March 18, 2009

3. Formal Assessment Used with Preschool Children and Written Report (20 points)

Each student will select one child to assess using one norm-referenced instrument and one criterion or curriculum referenced instrument. The child selected may be the child one is using for the portfolio assignment. The child selected must be between the ages of three to five years. Students will complete the assessments during at least two separate sessions with the child. Submit a formal written report that integrates the results of both assessments. The report must include parental concerns regarding the child’s development and the settings in which the assessment took place, assessment results and recommendation for facilitating the child’s development. Students will also include a reflection of how they felt as an assessor/evaluator; as well as what they would you do differently in the future etc.

Due on: April 1, 2009

4. Individual Child/Study/Portfolio (30 points)

Students will study and practice formal and informal assessment strategies with a child between the ages of three to five years. The result of this experience will be the development of a child portfolio containing selected materials to support the students’ written description of what they learned about the child, as well as an interpretation of the materials gathered.

Select a child and obtain permission from his/her parent to study and practice assessment strategies with his/her child. Students will need to talk with or interview a parent as part of this process. Begin to develop the portfolio and compile materials early in the semester. Students are to bring their compiled materials to class to share periodically during the semester. Students are to select and provide a rationale on how they organized their portfolio contents. Students are expected to incorporate information from other assignments when appropriate. The final product must include the following sections:  Annotated Table of Contents: This section of the portfolio should be reader friendly, enabling readers to find materials easily. The table of contents should make it clear to the reader that materials have been organized carefully and logically. Annotations should provide a brief overview about each section included in the portfolio.  Narrative: Prepare a narrative to accompany the portfolio that includes the following: o A brief summary of the portfolio contents o A description of and rationale for the approach that was taken to build the portfolio, including all sources of information; classroom, home, play o A description of the child, including observations of all key domains of development, including emergent literacy o A discussion of what was learned about the child, implications of teaching, and implications for collaborating with the child’s family o A discussion of how impressions will be validated with the family o A critique of the approach and what might be changed the next time  Summary and recommendation: Students will prepare a summary of their portfolio to share with classmates and faculty. This section should include a discussion of implications of one’s findings for classroom planning with recommendations and analysis. It should be reflective of the child as a learner and provide an understanding of how one integrated the knowledge one gained to provide an improved educational program for the child. How would one use the results of the portfolio assessment to develop and implement individual instruction? Based on the findings of the portfolio what are one’s recommendations for monitoring the child’s progress over the course of the year?  Reflection and recommendation: Students will upon completion of the above tasks write a postscript of two pages in which they discuss the process of creating their portfolio from their perspective. What was learned in the process? What are the legal and ethical principles that were considered in developing the portfolio? What technologies if any were used to support the assessment process? What would one change or do differently?

Prepare a complete paper for the instructor. In class, students are required to do an individual presentation for15 minutes to share their findings. Bring work samples of the child to the presentation.

Due on: April 29 (Presentations April 15, April 22, April 29) COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS: All students must abide by the following:

Students are expected to exhibit professional behavior and dispositions. See http://www.gse.gmu.edu for a listing of these dispositions.

Students must follow the guidelines of the University Honor Code. See http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/#TOC_H12 for the full honor code.

Students must agree to abide by the university policy for Responsible Use of Computing. See http://mail.gmu.edu and click on Responsible Use of Computing at the bottom of the screen.

Students with disabilities who seek accommodations in a course must be registered with the GMU Disability Resource Center (DRC) and inform the instructor, in writing, at the beginning of the semester. See www.gmu.edu/student/drc or call 703-993-2474 to access the DRC. PROPOSED CLASS SCHEDULE

Date Topic/Learning Experiences Readings and Assignments

Jan 21 Overview of class, review of syllabus, NAEYC on Assessment key concepts in assessment

Jan 28 Why, what and when to asses McAfee & Leong Ch. 1-3 Legal, ethical & professional responsibilities Puckett & Black Ch 1-2

Feb 4 Collecting and recording data Cohen Ch. 1-3 McAfee & Leong Ch. 4 & 5

Feb 11 Norm Referenced Tests McAfee & Leong Ch. 10 Puckett & Black Ch. 3

Feb 18 Criterion Referenced Tests Interest Preference Analysis Due

Feb 25 Introduction to authentic assessment and portfolio Puckett & Black Ch. 5 & 7 Cohen Ch. 5, 8

Mar 4 Summarizing and interpreting assessment McAfee & Leong Ch. 6 & 7 information Puckett & Black Ch. 6 Discuss progress on portfolios Team Assessment Presentation

Mar 11 Spring Break

Mar 18 Cultural and linguistic diversity in the assessment Puckett & Black Ch. 4 & 8 process Team Assessment Presentation Team Assessment Paper Due

Mar 25 Portfolio development and assessment Puckett & Black Ch. 7 Discuss progress on portfolios

Apr 1 Cultural and linguistic diversity in the assessment Formal Assessment Written Report Due process

Apr 8 How can assessment be used for individual and McAfee & Leong Ch. 11 group planning Cohen Ch. 13 Presentation on individual child study Apr 15 (8-9 students) Presentation on individual child study Apr 22 (8-9 students) Apr 29 Presentation on individual child study Report on Individual Child Study (8-9 students) Portfolios Due ASSESSMENT RUBRIC (S)

VIII. COURSE IX. Assignment Rubric

Name: ______

Date: ______

No Beginning Developing Accomplished SCORE Ev (Limited (Clear evidence) (Clear, convincing, evidence) 3 substantial evidence) ide 4 nc 2 e 1 CRITERIA

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