BFEA2033

Educational Assessment
WEEK 1
Reference book
Nature of Assessment: Measurement
Concepts, Rationale, Nature, and Purposes of
Assessment Educational Assessment
Principles
OBSERVATION
Observation
• Intentional, systematic act of looking at the behavior of a child in
particular setting, program, or situation (Morrison, G.S., 2012).
• A “Kid- watching”.
• For example: reviews of children’s work (portfolio), viewing children
as they engage in particular educational actions etc.
• Like a photograph, only record what is happening at that specific
point of time.
Purposes of observation
• Determine the cognitive, languages, social, emotional and physical
development of children.
• Identify a child’s interest, strength and which areas need
improvement.
• Plan DAP learning activities.
• Meet the needs of individual children.
• Determine progress.
• Provide information to parents or specialists.
• To gather information for the child’s folder for use in ongoing
guidance and placement.
Guidelines for observation
• Produced in a logical and systematic way (Planning).
• Detailed
• Factual
• Accurate
• Non- judgmental and unbiased
• Used with permission
• Confidential
Observation can be classified as:
Incidental
• ongoing activities & interactions between teacher and children
• Unplanned
• observes some aspect of individual learning
• E.g: Snack time

Planned
• planning to observe a specific learning outcomes
• Practical
• Performance
• E.g: classroom activities
Advantages of observation
• Enable teachers to collect information
• Is ideally suited to learning more about children in play settings
• Reveals about children’s prosocial behavior and peer interactions
• To know children’s abilities (what they can do)
• Useful to assess children’s performance over time
• Provide concrete information
What will be observe?
• All developmental aspects:
Physical
Social
Emotional
Language
Cognitive
Creative
Exercise
• 2 persons in one group, observation exercise, go around campus,
choose ONE person, observe he/she 3 minutes and write a short
observation record.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment
• The process of the collecting information about children’s
development, learning, behavior, academic progress, need for special
services and achievement in order to make decisions (Morrison, G.S.,
2012).
• Children assessment is different from older people, like teenagers,
unable to read and write yet.
• Thus, Assessment strategy must matched the age level (mental),
cultural background (social), and individual needs (PILES development
at each stage).
Why assess?
For educator
• To learn about individual's development.
• Diagnosis – medical reason
• Diagnosis – developmental delay
• For early childhood services – intervention
• Program planning – planning and evaluation
• Research
Why Assess?
For Children
• Identify what they know
• Identify children’s needs
• Determine appropriate placement
• To meet children’s needs (appropriateness of the curricula or
program)
• Make appropriate instructional decisions
• Selection of appropriate materials
Why Assess?
For Families
• Help determine effectiveness child’s program
• Monitor progress and achievement
Why Assess?
For the Program
• Policy decisions (what is and not appropriate for children)
• Selections of materials
• Make instructional decisions about how to implement learning
activities
• Reporting to parent
• Providing data sources of children’s progress and achievement
Guideline of assessment with children

• Materials ready
• Review procedures
• The child is familiar with the environment
• Develop relationship with the child
• Alert to signs of fatigue/tiredness of the child
• Use time efficiently
• Adaptations is allowed for disable child
Types of assessment:
• Authentic assessment
• Summative assessment
• Screening
Authentic Assessment
• In ECE, you will be using authentic assessment/ formative
assessment.
• Authentic assessment – The ongoing process of gathering information
about students during learning and teaching.
• Utilizes multiple ways to assess children’s achievement and what they
know and are able to do.
• Takes into account each child’s individual development and social,
cultural and language status and other need, no comparing.
• Is curriculum embedded: children are assessed on what they are
actually learning and doing.
Cont……
• Is a cooperative process: involves children, teachers, parents, and
other professional.
• Is part of everyday learning activities and the classroom process.
• Holistic, assess the whole child (all developmental aspects).
• Assesses children and their actual work (work samples, performance,
project, etc)
• Is ongoing over the entire school year.
Methods of Authentic Assessment
• Also known as observation skills and techniques.
• All authentic assessment related with observation.
Running record
Anecdotal record
Rating scale
Event sampling
Time sampling
Checklists
Portfolios
Interview
Summative assessment
• Also known as Standardized Test or examination.
• With set procedures, instructions and norm (grade), meaning it is
possible to compare a child’s score with the scores of a group of
children who have already taken the same test.
Screening
• Investigate for a specific problem or feature, such as vision, hearing,
health, etc.
• Conduct by professionals with special strategies.
What will be the selection criteria?
• Benefits for children
• Specific purpose (reliable, valid & fair)
• Age & culture appropriate
• Make assessment developmentally appropriate
• Linguistic appropriate
• Value parents
Traditional Assessment vs ‘Child-centeredness’ Assessment
Traditional
Teacher is the assesser
Teacher’s guidance is the focal point
Expect correct answer, the product
Follow textbook- rush to complete the syllabus
Convergent : focus on individual competency
Written tests is the focus point
Multiple-choice tests, matching tests, true-false tests,
completion tests
Child-centeredness
Children involve in the assessment too
Focus on the teacher promoting thinking
Emphasis on processes
Quality of achievements is highlighted.
Divergent: competence of children working with
peers
Documenting the learning process before assess the
progress of children
Samples of children’s work e.g. experiments,
portfolios, products (art, drama, craft etc)
Steps for conducting observation and
assessment
1. Planning

2. Conduct the observation

3. Interpret the data/ assessing

4. Implement the plan

Cont…..
1. Planning
• 5 WH words –
Who – individual you will observe.
Why – goal or objectives.
Where – location.
When – observation time or duration.
What – materials
How – techniques and procedures.
Cont……
2. Conduct the observation
• Implement the plan.
• Collect the information.
• Take photographs or video record.
Cont……
3. Interpret the data/ assess the child
• Analyze the data, use your professional knowledge to make sense of
what you have seen.
• Drawing conclusion.
• Reflect on your observation.
• Make recommendations for you are going to do.
Cont……
4. Implement the intervention or plan
• Intervention – plan appropriate activities to help an individual
improve his/her performance.