Kaplan University
Psychology / Applied Behavior Analysis / Early Childhood Development
CE300: Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood
One original discussion post and two replies.
Topic: Sharing Assessment Results with Parents
TUTOR INSTRUCTIONS:
The student is required to answer the case study questions below to make a new discussion post, then make a reply comment to two other student’s posts. So, one new original post, and two reply comments (one comment about Student 1’s post, and one comment about Student 2’s post).
Suggested references to use for this assignment
Read Chapter 11 “Communicating with Families” in your text, Assessment in Early Childhood Education. (Attached document: Chapter_11.docx)
You will also explore the website “Family Centered Assessment” and watch the videos “Finley’s Parent Teacher Conference” and “Sharing Documentation with Families.” :
· Child Welfare Information Gateway. Family centered assessment. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/famcentered/caseworkpractice/assessment/
· Colorado Department of Education. (n.d.) Finley’s Parent Teacher Conference. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/RMVideoSeries.htm
· Colorado Department of Education. (n.d.) Sharing Documentation with Families. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/RMVideoSeries.htm
In addition, you may explore the website on the DIAL-4 screening assessment http://www.pearsonclinical.com/childhood/products/100000304/dial-4-developmental-indicators-for-the-assessment-of-learning-fourth-edition-dial-4.html
Read the Toolkit of Recommended Curricula and Assessments for Early Childhood Home Visiting. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/Toolkit_of_Recommended_Curricula_and_Assessments_for_Home_Visiting.pdf
CASE STUDY AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Please use this case study to address the Discussion topic.
Koi is a 5-year-old boy in the childcare center where you work. You are preparing for the annual family conferences in your school. You have compiled a portfolio of Koi’s progress throughout the year and also have standardized test results from a screening done on all children in your center. Koi is developing typically, and has met all of the developmental milestones as indicated by the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL-4), the standardized screening assessment given at your school. You have prepared a portfolio complete with many work sample artifacts demonstrating his progress throughout the year.
The only area of concern noted by the early childhood professionals in Koi’s classroom is off-task behavior during circle time. It takes three or four requests to get Koi to join circle time each day. He will only sit for approximately 10 minutes and then he attempts to leave the circle. After studying this behavior, the early childhood professionals were able to determine that by adding additional visuals and opportunities for movement, Koi would attend and participate in circle time for the entire lesson.
Koi has been staying and participating in circle time consistently for the past two weeks since this implemented change. You want to share all of this assessment information with Koi’s parents, and the following questions are good ways to start thinking about how to best communicate with families.
Please describe how you would share these assessment results with Koi’s family by answering the following questions:
1. What strategies can you use to ensure that parents/caregivers feel welcome and comfortable at the beginning of the conference?
2. What strategies can you use when sharing assessment information with the parents/caregivers? Why did you choose these strategies?
3. What method can you use to summarize the student’s progress?
4. What role do the parents/caregivers have in the conference?
5. How could you share results that may be perceived by the parents/caregivers as negative?
Student 1’s post:
1. What strategies can you use to ensure that parents/caregivers feel welcome and comfortable at the beginning of the conference? I would start by setting up the meeting and reassuring the parents that this is just a meeting to discuss the assessment and to get their ideas on certain strategies that you are going to suggest them. Let them know that in no way is their child going to be labeled or is this information going to be shared with anyone other than them or yourself. That you have found some issues that need to be addressed and that you are there to support them in any decision that is made.
2. What strategies can you use when sharing assessment information with the parents/caregivers? The first thing that I am going to do is get copies of everything and have them ready to give to the parents so that they know exactly where he was at the beginning of the school year and where he is now. Then I would provide them with any resources information that would be of help. I would keep everything as positive as possible because then the parents would be comfortable and open with the information that we are sharing together. Why did you choose these strategies? The reason I chose this strategy is because parents are sometimes in denial and feel like they are being judged and that is the last thing that I would want them to feel. I want them comfortable enough to where they open on their concerns and that they could understand the information that I am providing. I would explain that with Koi, we try and refocus the child’s attention on the task at hand and that eventually the refocus will not be needed because it will be second nature.
3. What method can you use to summarize the student’s progress? Basically, I would have all the scores and graphs that show where he was compared to other children in his class at the beginning of the year and where he is now. This would allow me to show them that they are not the only parents with a child that needs additional services or help in school. I would then have a game plan of where we need to provide additional assistance with Koi and how we can help the parents with open communication and specific strategies at home that would be the same as if the child was in the classroom. I would offer parent training that would help them adjust at home that would benefit the child both at school and home. I would allow them to take the copy of the portfolio and notes with them so that later they can review them. I would also give them my email address so that if they have any concerns after the meeting that they can reach me immediately because my email is available through my phone.
4. What role do the parents/caregivers have in the conference? Parents and caregivers are the advocates for the child because they spend more time with the child everyday then I would. The parents and caregivers are the child’s voice because they clearly know the child better than anyone.
5. How could you share results that may be perceived by the parents/caregivers as negative? I would focus on the positives first and then bring up the negatives and allow the parents to ask questions and give their input and be open to what they were saying. I would let them know that we can make any necessary adjustments to our plan at any time if they feel that the plan is not working.
Student 2’s post:
1. What strategies can you use to ensure that parents/caregivers feel welcome and comfortable at the beginning of the conference?
Parent-teacher conferences are mostly done face-to-face. Before the conference with Koi parents, I may set out some refreshment. I would place Koi’s work in a folder on the table where the conference will take place. I may decide to have ready a slide-show of what
Koi does at school. If necessary, I may have an interpreter available. I would greet the parent and allow them to talk first. Koi’s parents
will be given an opportunity to share information about their family. I would answer any concern Koi’s parents may have about Koi’s progress. I would be tactful and honest (p. 276-278).
2. What strategies can you use when sharing assessment information with the parents/caregivers? Why did you choose these strategies?
I would be sure to cover each part of the assessment with the parents. I would be careful with the way I communicate the information
to the parents. I would think about what I am going to say before I say it. I would highlight all of the strength of the child before presenting his weaknesses. I would explain what Koi test scores mean. I would make sure the information from the assessment is accurate.
3. What method can you use to summarize the student’s progress?
I would use Koi’s portfolio during the conference. I would show the work samples I had collected to show beginning to the presence
date.
4. What role do the parents/caregivers have in the conference?
It is the role of parents/caregivers to share information about their child. For example, they could share the child’s personality traits, challenges, habits, friends, hobbies, and talents. Parents should try to stay focused on their child and his or her unique temperament, individual needs, and special interests. It is their role to listen with an open-mind to what the teacher has to say about their child. Be considerate to the teacher and the other parents who has schedule conference that day. Arrive on time for the conference.
5. How could you share results that may be perceived by the parents/caregivers as negative?
I would have to make sure the results are accurate. I would talk to my supervisor before during a conference with this particular parents.
I would relate the information professionally and honest.
Reference
Parent Teacher Conference. Retrieved from https://families.naeyc.org/
Wortham, S. C., Hardin, B. J. (02/2015). Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 7th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781323290804/
Reference:
Hardin, B. J., Wortham, S.C. (2015). Assessment in Early Childhood Education (7th ed.). [Vitalsource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://kaplan.bitalsource.com/#/books/9781323290804/
In-text citation: (Hardin & Wortham, 2015)
CHAPTER 11 Communicating with Families
Suzanne Clouzeau/Pearson
Chapter Objectives
As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Discuss characteristics of family-professional partnerships that promote children’s development and learning.
2. Explain strategies for establishing and maintaining family-professional partnerships that benefit children.
3. Describe strategies for conducting effective parent conferences.
4. Discuss the roles of families in screening and assessment.
Parents are children’s first and most important teacher. As such, they have a critical role in their child’s development and learning. Teachers, administrators, and other early childhood providers understand that children’s success as learners depends on parents as well as professionals. The importance of having parents as partners in early childhood settings is essential to quality care and education (Dunst & Trivette, 2012; Schmidt & Matthews, 2013; Turnbull et al., 2006). Today’s children experience a variety of family relationships. Some children live with a single parent or with grandparents. Children may live in blended families where both parents had previous marriages and children from the first and second marriages now live together as one family. Other children live in households with same-sex parents. Still others may live in households that include adults who function as caretakers but are not related. Therefore, the term families should acknowledge the expanded roles of parenting to include any persons that function as family in their daily lives. Throughout this book, information related to family partnerships during screening and assessment processes has been discussed. This chapter will be devoted to how professionals can engage in meaningful partnerships with adults who serve in parenting roles for children, particularly during the assessment process. Strategies for communicating with families about children’s progress will be discussed, including planning and how to conduct effective family conferences.
Family-Professional Partnerships that Promote Children’s Development and Learning
Parents have always actively participated in early-childhood settings such as child-care centers and schools. When the first author’s father was an elementary school student in the early 20th century in Austin, Texas, mothers took turns going to the school to prepare lunch for the children. Traditionally, parents helped with school parties and volunteered in the classroom. Parent–teacher organizations raised money to secure needed books, equipment, and other materials that were not in the school budget.
Today, the idea of a partnership with parents goes beyond helping with school programs toward empowering and engaging families in mutually respectful interactions that benefit children. Fundamental to effective family-professional partnerships is the belief that they should be strengths-based (built on family resources and assets) and family-centered (led by family concerns and priorities) (Dunst & Trivette, 2012). Turnbull et al. (2006) describe family-professional partnerships as relationships in which families (not just parents) and professionals build on each other’s expertise and resources so decisions will benefit children as well as their partnership. They suggest partnerships that support children’s well-being and are achieved by applying the following seven principles:
• Communication—ongoing, honest interactions using methods agreed on by both the parents and the professionals
• Professional Competence—well-trained professionals committed to lifelong learning and who have expectations for children
• Respect—regarding each other in high esteem and interactions that promote honesty and dignity
• Commitment—being accessible and sensitive to the needs of families
• Equality—shared power and decision making
• Advocacy—forming alliances based on identified needs and taking action to address them
• Trust—the keystone of strong family-professional partnerships
Numerous professional organizations have published position papers and guidelines that help educators understand essential characteristics of effective family-professional partnerships. For example, the NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation describes professional standards for early childhood professionals (NAEYC, 2009). The purpose of these standards is to provide guidance for professionals that reflect the values of inclusive, high-quality early childhood services. Standard 2, Building Family and Community Relationships, describes elements of strong family-professional partnerships as follows:
Parents and teachers are partners in the learning and assessment of young children.
David Kostelnik/Pearson
2a: Knowing about and understanding diverse family and community characteristics
2b: Supporting and engaging families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships
2c: Involving families and communities in their children’s development and learning (p. 12)
Other professional organizations have published guidelines for establishing and maintaining family-professional partnerships that reflect the diversity of families. For example, the Division of Early Childhood/Council for Exceptional Children (DEC, 2010) published a position paper entitled Responsiveness to ALL Children, Families, and Professionals: Integrating Cultural and Linguistic Diversity into Policy and Practice, which provides information about ways to establish and maintain effective family-professional partnerships with diverse families, especially those who have children with disabilities and families from culturally and linguistically diverse families.
In addition, as early learning standards have become an expected aspect of young children’s education, national and state organizations have stressed the importance of family partnerships. For example, a joint position statement on early learning standards developed by the National Association for Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (2002) describes four conditions needed in the development and implementation of early learning standards. The fourth condition emphasizes the importance of family-professional partnerships: “Early learning standards will have the most positive effects if families—key partners in young children’s learning—are provided with respectful communication and support” (p. 8). This position statement and its content are supported by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and other prominent organizations as a unified effort to guide the field toward quality and developmentally appropriate content in standards, including the important role of families.
Strategies for Establishing and Maintaining Family–Professional Partnerships that Benefit Children
Establishing Relationships with Families
The importance of a strong partnership with families becomes more evident as we learn more about how children benefit from a strong teacher–parent relationship. All parties in the partnership have an equal role. The quality of the partnership affects the child’s security and maximizes the child’s potential for learning. This quality partnership includes frequent two-way communications, interest in each other’s perspectives, and acceptance of the views of the other partner. The partnership grows through mutual consultation both on daily activities and important decisions. It requires working through differences with mutual respect (Keyser, 2006; Lightfoot, 2003).
Building Bridges with Families of Infants and Toddlers
In 2014, more than 11 million children of working mothers who were younger than age 5 participated in child care (Child Care Aware of America, 2014). Thirty-eight percent of the children who participate in child care are infants and toddlers (Schmitt & Matthews, 2013). These children spend on average 36 hours a week in child care and often participate in multiple placements. Thus, for many families, the partnership between educational settings and the home begins when their children are infants and toddlers. The development of relationships between the home and facilities or schools is initiated when the child is transitioned from home to a center or other care and/or educational setting. The development of trust and positive, consistent caregiving are important in developing bonds between the caregiver and the child and the caregiver and the parents. Each day the child and family adults go through emotions related to separation when the child is left in the caregiving setting and then another adjustment when they are united at the end of the day. Caregivers and other center personnel who show sensitivity and understanding of unique family characteristics and cultural differences can facilitate the daily transitions and ongoing interactions with the child and family. Families of babies have the same needs for support and communication regarding their child as families of older children in school settings; however, the needs for daily communication and exchange of information about the child are even more crucial for young children.
The expanded nature of parenting also includes an understanding of diversity. Family members and professionals from a variety of cultures, ethnicities, family structures, and levels of income can enrich partnerships. A variety of languages may be spoken, and families might have different views from professionals on how children should be raised. This means that all parties (e.g., schools, centers, services providers, parents) must learn about each other, both at school and at home. Families need to learn about the school culture and how their child fits into a group of diverse children. Likewise, professionals must understand each child’s family cultural practices and seek ways to incorporate them in the early childhood setting (Keyser, 2006).
Parents and teachers are not the only beneficiaries of a strong, mutually respectful partnership. Children benefit the most! When parents and other significant adults in their life have a positive relationship with teachers and other education professionals, children feel that they and their family are honored and respected. The better the relationship, the more children feel that they, too, can have a trusting relationship with the teacher. They learn how to conduct social relationships by watching adult relationships. They notice all the nuances of spoken language, body language, and tone of voice that the adults use. They use these positive models to develop their own relationships with others (Keyser, 2006). Informal and formal communication processes as well as home visits are effective methods for establishing positive family-professional partnerships.
Ongoing Communications
Continuing conversations and other forms of communication are an important step in establishing a partnership. At times, the teacher initiates the communication, but at other times the parent initiates the contact. Families have different ways to engage in the partnership. The continuum from relationship to partnership is different from family to family. The teacher needs to be sensitive to how best to communicate with families. Written newsletters to parents may not be effective if the parents speak another language and the written materials are not in the parents’ home language, for example. Parents may also be very intimidated by requests for them to give information through written notes. Care should be taken, however, to make sure parents who speak a language other than English can read in their home language. The first author’s years as a teacher of children from Spanish-speaking families provides another example of how to be sensitive to parents. The principal decided that all newsletters and information sheets would be communicated in both English and Spanish. It took some reflection and awkward interactions before it was understood that the Spanish-speaking families in the school community could not read in Spanish either. Patience and goodwill are necessary for both families and teachers as partnerships develop, especially if there are extenuating circumstances, such as language differences, that may be challenging.
Today, technological advances can be used to enhance communication between parents and educational settings. For example, the teacher can establish a classroom website where information can be shared and ideas exchanged. Photographs and videos of class work can be posted and opportunities for family comments provided. E-mails to individual families can replace notes with families who have access to a computer. Other families without computers can continue to exchange written notes with the teacher. Cell phone calls can include photographs of the child at school and possibly text messages to keep families informed. The messages can include anecdotes about the child’s experiences at school, new accomplishments, or newly developed social skills (Mitchell, Foulger, & Wetzel, 2009).
Home Visits
One of the most effective ways to establish a relationship with a child and the family is to make a home visit before the child begins attending the center or school. When the teacher visits the home environment, a context for understanding the child and family is established. As young teachers, we made home visits at the beginning of every school year. It was very educational to learn how and where the children in our classrooms lived. The first author taught in a bilingual program; as a result, most of the children in the classroom were Hispanic. Many children were from families of migrant workers. A majority of families she visited had a very low income. One family lived out of two cars several miles from the school bus route. The children were dressed and ready to leave by 5 a.m. so that they could walk with their older siblings to the bus stop. In the afternoons, it was almost dark before they reached home again. Another family lived very near the school, but in a very old wood frame house with bare wood floors. The mother got water from the tap outside for cooking and cleaning. She had a history of being abused and beaten by her husband. When the first author visited, the house was very clean, and the mother proudly showed her the room where three of the girls shared a double bed. Later in the year, when the child from that family in her classroom appeared at school with a broken arm, the school nurse was notified to work with child welfare authorities to investigate and assist the mother, if needed. The families were pleased that the teacher came to their home. The children were always dressed in their best clothes and on their best behavior. Family pictures, the children’s toys, and the plants in the yard were often topics of conversation. These initial visits were vital to the parents’ feeling comfortable with the teacher, especially since she spoke Spanish, and the parents were able to overcome their hesitations to come to the school for meetings and conferences. Many times parent conferences were conducted at a parent’s place of work because they could not leave their job or did not have transportation to the school. Home visits continued in some situations when the family or the teacher needed support from the other.
In conclusion, home visits are an effective way to begin and maintain family-professional partnerships as they provide authentic experiences for both the family members and teachers or other professionals. Ongoing communication strategies can grow out of these experiences or other avenues of learning about the types of communication that work best for families.
Using Professional Ethics in School–Family Partnerships
Teachers are responsible for maintaining professionalism in their relationships with parents. Guidelines for teachers are provided by professional education organizations. The Code of Ethical Conduct was first published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1989, and most recently updated in 2011 (NAEYC, 2011). The code provides guidelines for professional behavior for teachers and caregivers of young children. It describes categories of ethics that provide a framework for how teachers should interact in their positions in early childhood settings. Throughout this Code of Ethics it is stressed that professional ethics includes responsibilities for children, families, communities, and society. The descriptions discuss that professional ethical judgments guide educators as to what they should and should not do as professionals. Section II of the Code is dedicated to ethical partnerships with families. The code of ethics is a document that permits the profession to speak as a group. The hope for the future is that the code can be used not only as a basis for advocacy addressing the needs of young children and their families, but also to help early childhood educators to focus on what is best for all young children and their families (Feeney, 2010).
Assessment Roles of Families of Children with Disabilities
When parents discover that their infant, toddler, or young child has a delay or disability, they soon understand the important role of assessment in the child’s life. They experience conflicting emotions about what the assessment will reveal. One mother described her reaction (Rocco, 1996):
When assessments emphasize deficits and diminished expectations for future success, we parents generally begin to look for a way to thwart these negative prognostications. At the very best, we want a miracle cure. At the least, we want professionals to “fix” our children…. We believe that professionals have all the answers, and therefore, all the power. (p. 56)
After parents experience the first stages of screening and diagnosis, they find they have a major role in assessing what the child needs and participate in planning for the child. Once their child has been evaluated and determined eligible for services, the ongoing assessment and intervention process centers on the family as well as the child, especially in the early intervention program, Part C of IDEA, for infants and toddlers. The extent of the family’s involvement affects the child’s performance and the relevance of the child’s assessment in guiding intervention services (Berman & Shaw, 1996; Dunst & Trivette, 2012; Ray, Pewitt-Kinder, & George, 2009). Dunst and Trivette (2012) describe the assessment process as family-directed or family-centered, with the child and family’s concerns, priorities, resources, and values the most important in planning for the child. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004) requires that families be a team member and partner in the assessment, decision-making, and activities planned for addressing the child’s needs (U.S. Congress, 2004). Conferences with families who have a child with a disability are more complex than the common understanding of parent–teacher conferences. An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed specifically for children and families participating in the Early Intervention Program (Part C of IDEA 2004). A team of intervention providers that might include therapists, early intervention specialists, teachers, and family members are involved in both planning for the family and child’s needs and later assessing progress on the IFSP with the family (Ray, Pewitt-Kinder, & George, 2009).
Involving All Parents in the Assessment Process
Practices established for parents of children with disabilities involve parents in the assessment process used with all children. Home visits with parents before the beginning of school can initiate the process of gathering information about the child. Thereafter, parents can participate in the assessment process through the teacher’s ongoing efforts to solicit information from parents, participating in conferences when the child’s progress is reported, and contributing information about the child’s progress within the conference, through written responses submitted to the teacher and by telephone or e-mail messages (Gilkerson & Hanson, 2000).
All the assessment strategies discussed in this text apply to children with disabilities. Some types of assessments may have to be modified, especially for children who have a cognitive delay or physical disability. Nevertheless, children with disabilities should not be excluded from performance assessments and portfolios. These children should have ongoing opportunities to demonstrate what they understand and can use. Teachers and parents will need to be creative in finding ways for children to engage in their own assessment if they are unable to participate in the same manner as children without disabilities. Computers and other types of assistive technologies can be used, as well as photographs, videotapes, and audiotapes. The important point is that children with disabilities should be included in the assessment and planning process to the best of their abilities. Bridging their disabilities with alternative assessment strategies will complete their inclusion as full members of the classroom (Jarrett, Browne, & Wallin, 2006; McLean, Wolery, & Bailey, 2004; Zero to Three, 2010).
Parent Partnership in Portfolio Assessment
The principal, teachers, and parents at Thomas Jefferson Kindergarten and Primary School discussed portfolio assessment at school council meetings for several months. Teachers and a principal from a school in a nearby community were invited to attend the council meeting and talk about their experiences in starting portfolio assessment. In April, the council decided to implement portfolios the following year. As training sessions were held for the teachers at the end of the school year, newsletters were sent to parents informing them of the change in reporting using portfolios and of evening sessions that would be held to share how the teachers were preparing for using portfolios.
During the summer months, teacher training continued. At the beginning of the school year, an open house was held to further explain how the portfolio process would be used and the rationale for moving to this type of assessment and reporting. Following a general meeting in the multipurpose room of the school, parents visited their child’s classroom, where the teacher showed a model of the portfolio that would be used in the classroom and how parents could contribute to the information that would be included in the portfolio. Questions about the portfolio assessment process were answered.
At the first parent–teacher conferences, portfolio assessment to report student progress was used for the first time. Parents were invited to reflect on what the child had accomplished. In some classrooms, the child participated in the conference and discussed why some entries were important. Following review of the portfolios, both the parents and teacher discussed how to plan for the child’s learning experiences based on the progress made during the first part of the school year.
Some teachers found the move to the portfolio process easier than others. Likewise, some parents understood and supported portfolio assessment more quickly than others. The principal provided troubleshooting sessions for teachers, and the school council discussed how to continue to improve the process.
Conducting Effective Parent Conferences
Whatever approaches a teacher uses to assess children, a report is made to communicate with the parents about the child’s developmental advances and learning accomplishments. The assessments that have been made are evaluated to determine what will be in the report. Families are given the opportunity to share their ideas about the child’s growth and progress and to respond to the report that the teacher has developed. Although written reports and portfolios are helpful assessment systems to use when sharing information with families, conferences permit families and teachers to interact directly. In the following sections, parent conferences will be discussed, including how to prepare for and conduct conferences.
Types of Parent Conferences
In addition to traditional teacher-led conferences, other options for conducting parent conferences include three-way conferences, student-led conferences, and parent group meeting conferences. Each of these types of conferences are described in the following section.
Three-Way Conferences
In the three-way conference, the student, parent, and teacher all participate. The student has an opportunity to present and discuss his or her work through a portfolio, the parent has an opportunity to introduce relevant information about the child’s progress, and the teacher has the opportunity to summarize what has been accomplished during the time period. All participants plan together for future goals, projects, and general learning. All participants discuss how the home and the school can work together to accomplish the child’s learning goals.
Student-Led Conferences
Students can be taught to conduct a conference with the family (Cromwell, 2010). Using a showcase or evaluative portfolio, the student and parent study portfolio contents and discuss the student’s work. The teacher can join the conference later and answer questions the parent might have or elicit the family’s ideas for the child’s further progress (Stiggins, 2005). Regardless of the approach to be used for the parent conference, the conference should follow the assumption that families are partners in the process:
The inclusion of families in the overall assessment is critically important. They need to be involved in more than just the final stage of the process if they are to see all the skills and strategies that their children are developing and to assist their children along the way.
Family involvement with portfolios can take many forms, including holding three-way conferences that include students, teachers, and parents. Parents may also respond in writing to the work in the portfolio. They can complete a questionnaire about their perceptions of the student’s work and provide examples they think are indicative of growth (Lescher, 1995, p. 28).
Parent Group Meeting Conferences
When circumstances do not permit conferences with individual families, a group conference for all parents might be considered. In this type of conference, the teacher spends time explaining to all the parents the assessments that have been used, the nature of those assessments, and information on projects or thematic study topics. Classroom documentation in various forms is explained and parents are invited to spend time looking at them. The teacher can make opportunities for individual questions and for parents with concerns to stay after the group meeting to discuss these with the teacher. Arrangements might be made for individual phone calls or other communications when needed to discuss future questions or issues.
Preparing for Family Conferences
The teacher or other professional must prepare the information that is to be shared prior to conducting a conference with a family. Some of the information should involve input from parents and the child. As part of the preparation, the teacher selects the assessments that will be used for reporting progress and develops a profile or some type of encapsulation that summarizes the child’s evidence of development and learning.
Selecting Options for Reporting Progress
If the teacher uses portfolio assessment, the process of preparing the portfolio contents for the child’s evaluation becomes the vehicle for reporting. If a portfolio is not used, the teacher gathers and organizes examples of the child’s work, assessments that have been conducted, and some type of report on the child’s evaluation that has been determined by the teacher.
Developing a Profile for the Child Using Assessment Results
Portfolios include assessment results and other evidence of the child’s work that permit an evaluation to take place. Materials in the portfolio, when combined with a narrative report, provide a profile of progress. A profile can also be developed using checklist assessments, samples of the child’s work, and a summary report, as in The Work Sampling System, 5th Edition (Meisels, Marsden, Jablon, & Dichtelmiller, 2014), and the checklist and anecdotal records used in the Preschool Child Observation Record (COR) (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2003). Given the many types of assessments and record-keeping strategies described in earlier chapters, the teacher has a variety of ways to organize assessment and evaluation into a comprehensive profile of the child to share with parents. This report may also include the results of standardized tests in the primary grades.
Considering Individual Family Backgrounds and Needs
As the teacher prepares for the conference with the parents, the backgrounds, concerns, priorities, resources, and needs of parents are considered. Parents must feel comfortable and relaxed when they come for the conference. A trained interpreter should be provided for parents who speak a language other than English. The environment for the conference should be welcoming. Some teachers provide refreshments and decorate the area with flowers and student work.
When preparing for a conference, the teacher must consider the diverse backgrounds of the children also. The children may come from different religions, cultures, languages, and family practices. For example, in some cultures the father takes the lead in participating in the conference, with the mother taking a secondary role. In other cultures, especially traditional American groups, both parents participate equally, or the mother takes the lead.
If language is an issue, provisions should be made for a trained interpreter to assist with the meeting, if the teacher does not speak the home language of the family. In the event of families speaking several different languages, trained interpreters who speak both languages might facilitate the conference conversations. It is important to have trained interpreters who understand that their role is to serve as a conduit for delivering information from the teacher, parent, student, or other person involved in the conference without judgment or prejudice. Avoid asking a friend, family member, or other person who is not a professional interpreter. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, 2014) recommends the following considerations when selecting an interpreter to assist with assessment:
• Determine the interpreter’s level of proficiency in English and in the home language used by the child and family
• Examine the interpreter’s educational background and experience
• Determine the interpreter’s communication style to ensure it will work with that of the teacher, child, and parents
• Try to use the same interpreter for multiple assignments so that you may establish an effective working relationship
Additional tips for using an interpreter effectively before, during, and after the conference can be found on the ASHA website.
Sometimes parents are intimidated by the teacher and other professionals and are uncomfortable attending a conference at the school. Parents may feel inadequate or have bad memories from their own school experiences. Teachers need to be very sensitive to these situations and be ready to help these parents feel welcome and appreciated (Kersey & Masterson, 2009).
Another factor to consider is parental awareness of how assessments are conducted and interpreted, particularly in the case of standardized test results. Some families may be very familiar and comfortable in understanding the meaning of different terms used in standardized test reports. Others may be totally bewildered when a child’s test profile is discussed. The teacher will want to vary how these tests are discussed and what explanations might be necessary. Standardized tests and test reports were discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. The teacher will want to understand test reports and how to interpret them to parents from diverse backgrounds.
Conducting Family Conferences
Once the parents or other family representatives have arrived and the conference is ready to begin, the teacher keeps three guidelines in mind when conducting a successful experience for the parents and child, if the child is to participate, including: (1) helping parents understand evaluation information, (2) helping parents interpret evaluation information accurately, and (3) soliciting parental and child input for assessment and planning for the child. If standardized test results are used, these guidelines are especially important.
Steps in Preparing to Conduct Conferences with Families
The teacher can also think through best strategies that will ensure a positive conference result. Following are some measures teachers take to conduct successful conferences:
• Start and end on a positive note. It was mentioned earlier that parents should feel welcomed by the teacher. The teacher can share the child’s strengths and examples of the child’s positive experiences at school.
• Encourage parents to share information about their child. Early in the conference, parents are asked about their child. The teacher may ask questions about how the child and family interact at home. The objective is to have the parents take the lead in the discussion about their child.
• Discuss relevant information about the child’s progress. Important information about the child’s accomplishments is discussed with the parents, using portfolio examples, various assessments, and standardized test results, when appropriate. Parents are included in the discussion throughout this part of the conference. Their questions are answered, and the teacher asks questions to extend the information.
• Discuss the child’s needs or issues about progress. Difficulties the child might be experiencing at school are discussed objectively. The teacher focuses on the most important difficulties that a child might be experiencing. The teacher asks the parents for help in addressing the child’s needs. The parents and teacher discuss how they might help the child. The teacher asks the parents for suggestions about how the child might be better helped in school. If possible, the parents and teacher set a plan for the child to be addressed in a follow-up conference or other communication (Kersey & Masterson, 2009).
• End the conference on a positive note. The teacher closes the conference by again focusing on the child’s positive attributes. The teacher thanks the parents for attending and being helpful in providing needed information. The teacher stresses that the family-professional relationship is a partnership to further positive feelings with parents or family representatives.
Helping Parents Interpret Evaluation Information
When parents encounter a collection of work examples of the children and teacher assessments that form the basis for a child’s evaluation, they may feel a bit overwhelmed when they compare this type of reporting with a report card. If the teacher and school have prepared the parents for the use of portfolios and performance assessments, they will appreciate understanding how the materials they are seeing form a picture of what the child has learned; nevertheless, they are likely to have questions about assessments and the meaning of the child’s work. The teacher needs to be prepared to volunteer information about the assessment strategies used and why the collection of the child’s work provides evidence of learning.
Role of Parents in the Screening and Assessment Process
Parents may have questions such as the following: How are checklist assessments conducted? What strategies does the teacher use to acquire checklist information? Why are observation reports important? What does the teacher learn about the child by doing observations? What do the summaries of the child’s advances and accomplishments mean when compared with a traditional report card? How does a rubric work? How does the teacher design written tests for primary-grade children? The teacher should be able to explain during the conference how and why assessments are used so that parents understand the assessment process. Parents will vary in how they understand technical information. The teacher needs to be prepared to help interpret assessment results with individual families.
The same is true of assessment materials shared at the parent–teacher conference. One method of summarizing the child’s progress and overall evaluation is to have a summary report or narrative report for the parents. The teacher goes over the report with the parents, helping them understand the relationship between the assessment resources and the child’s overall evaluation. If a summary report is not used, the teacher must have an overall evaluation ready to share with the parents. The assessments and work samples must be explained, with their implications for the child’s progress and future needs for instructional experiences.
A Group Conference for a Child with ADHD
Miles Clark is a third-grade child who was identified as having ADHD in the first grade. He was evaluated and received special education classification at that time. He has received the help of a resource teacher for the past 2 years. The purpose of the conference is to determine how Miles should be served as he moves to fourth grade. The conference includes Miles’s parents, his grandmother, the regular classroom teacher, the school counselor, the resource teacher, and the principal. The conference has been called at the request of Miles’s mother, who is concerned about the possible end of services by the resource teacher.
Each member of the teaching and support staff presents an assessment of Miles’s progress. At the end of each presentation, the parents and other members of the group are invited to comment or ask questions. The classroom teacher and resource teacher present examples of work that Miles has been able to complete on his own, without assistance. Each member of the group is asked about Miles’s ability to work independently, without a resource teacher to assist with assignments. School staff members believe that their plan to transition Miles to working without assistance is showing good progress. Miles’s mother is not convinced and insists that Miles is entitled to the continued services of the resource teacher because of his designation as having ADHD.
At the end of the conference, each member of the conference group summarizes his or her current assessment of Miles and what future planning is appropriate for his continued progress. The school counselor summarizes the events of the conference and asks the parents for their assessment. Miles’s mother strongly supports the continuation of assistance for Miles. The school staff reluctantly agree to continue the use of the resource teacher during the next school year.
Soliciting Parental Input for Assessment and Planning
Opportunities for parental input into the assessment and planning process should be built into the conference. If parents do not voluntarily reflect on the child’s progress and make suggestions, the teacher should be ready to solicit input. As the teacher completes the evaluation report, parents can give their own views about progress and concerns they might have about the child. The child also discusses progress and how learning might be improved. As the teacher discusses the next steps in planning for the child, parents can give their suggestions of what might be helpful for the child. Also, the teacher and parents can discuss what the parents might do to help the child at home. The important point is that parents and children need to feel that they are a vital part of the evaluation process and not mere recipients of the evaluation report. Although the teacher may need to discuss improvements that the child needs to make, parents should also be encouraged to look at problems and suggest solutions. If a true partnership has been established, parents will be able to address the child’s needs and help plan ways to guide the child without feeling that they are being judged.
Summary
Assessment in early childhood education includes opportunities and challenges. Many of the issues that developed during the latter decades of the 20th century persist at the beginning of the 21st century. The implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Common Core State Standards presented their own challenges.
Assessment of young children that evolved during the 20th century has broadened and intensified over the decades, as more has been learned about how young children develop and learn and how variances in development and culture may cause young children to encounter difficulties when they enter school. Tests and measures to assess young children have been developed for children who need intervention services and preschool programs to enhance their academic success when they enter the primary grades.
The development and use of a variety of approaches for the assessment of children in the early childhood years has not come without problems. Because of the nature and rapidity of development of young children, it is difficult to design measures that are dependable and that accurately measure personal characteristics and other needed information. Each kind of measure designed for use with young children has pluses and minuses. Users of each type of assessment must be informed about the strengths and limitations of the strategies they plan to use. With young children especially, a combination of assessment approaches, rather than a single instrument or method, is indicated.
As school reform decisions increase the use of testing of preschool and primary-grade children for placement, promotion, and retention, teachers increasingly believe that they are accountable for their role in the decisions made about their students. If they disagree with the grading procedures they are required to use, for example, do they have a responsibility to voice their concern? When they have research-based information that an instrument is being used for the wrong purpose or lacks reliability, should they inform the personnel who selected the tests? Should teachers press for alternative methods of assessment that include informal strategies and performance assessments? Do school policies prohibit any variation in how children are assessed? Parents want teachers to explain the use of performance assessments and changes in student progress reports that accompany the use of these assessments. Teachers want parents to have input when the decision is made to move to this type of assessment and the use of portfolios, rather than report cards. In addition, teachers want to be confident that they have the skills to use and interpret assessment results with parents.
No crystal ball reveals future trends in measuring young children. Demands for accountability and increases in learning achievement currently drive curriculum and assessment. School reform, which is a national phenomenon, will continue to affect early childhood education. As the importance of the early years is again being emphasized, the school reform movement continues to force restrictive parameters on the education of young children. The push for quality early childhood programs conflicts with efforts to raise academic standards. And, as the makeup of early childhood classrooms changes to reflect the presence of more children with disabilities and diverse backgrounds and languages, competence in selecting and using appropriate types of assessments assumes even more importance. Decisions about educational practices are often political rather than educational. As different forces affect representation in Congress, policies can change.
The issues that surround the assessment of young children will not be resolved soon. If present trends continue, improvement in methods of assessment of young children will continue in the effort to improve their potential for optimal development and learning. The ongoing improvement in assessment methods should have a positive effect on the quality of early childhood programs and services as well.
Review Questions
Key Terms
Family-centered 268
Parent conferences 275
Family-professional partnerships 268
Parent group meeting conferences 275
Strengths-based 268
Student-led conferences 275
Three-way conferences 275
Selected Organizations
Search for the following organizations online:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Beach Center on Disability
Center for Law and Social Policy
Child Care Aware of America
National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)
Parent Teacher Association
TeacherVision
Wrightslaw
References
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Wortham, Sue C., Belinda Hardin. Assessment in Early Childhood Education, 7th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, 02/2015. VitalBook file.
The citation provided is a guideline. Please check each citation for accuracy before use.
