Formative Assessment in Pre-K & Kindergarten for ALL Children

Karla Carpenter - Catawba Co SchoolsJuliana Harris - Martin Co. Schools

Carla Garrett - NCDPI

Objectives• To provide an overview of the NC Demonstration

Program

• To understand what formative assessment is and how it is used to inform instruction

• To identify effective early childhood evidence-based instructional practices that support formative assessment

• To understand how to use formative assessment data for different data purposes

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Office of Early Learning (Pre-K – Grade 3)

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/earlylearning

• North Carolina Office of Early Learning, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 (Mailing: 2075 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2075). Phone: (919) 807-3946

OEL Programs

Early Learning Challenge Grant, K-3 Assessment

Pre-K Exceptional Children, 619

Head Start-State Collaboration Office

Pre-K Title I

Early Learning Sensory Support

Each child is honored, respected, and empowered to achieve success in school and life.

NC’s Demonstration Program

Vision Statement:

• Pre-Kindergarten Classes• Kindergarten Classes http://www.ncpublicschools.org/earlylearning/demo/

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Demonstration Program: Mission

Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Lead by modeling, sharing, promoting, and articulating effective learning environments, curricula, and instructional practices

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Demonstration Programs

• 10 Demonstration Programs in NC– 8 Pre-K Classrooms – 6 Kindergarten Classrooms

oPOK (Power of Kindergarten) Teachers

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Background▪ Preschool Demonstration Programs

Began 2001-02▪ Kindergarten added 2010-11▪ Funding provided by EC & Title I

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Who Do We Serve?

▪Teachers▪Teacher Assistants▪Principals & Central Office Administration

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Guided Observations

▪ Offer the opportunity to visit inclusive preschool and kindergarten classrooms to view effective practices

▪ Classrooms reflect: – Cultural– Linguistic &– Ability diversity

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Guided Observations ▪ Professional Development Process▪ Visitors select areas of early childhood

practice they are interested in observing and discussing

Commonalities:▪ Pre Observation Discussion▪ Guided Observation Conducted▪ Post Observation Discussion

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Use of “CLASS” & “EduSnap”

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Also:“TPOT” (SEFEL)-Pre-K Demos

Interesting Demo Facts…

• 8 of 14 teachers National Board Certified• All classes have children with disabilities• Preschool ECERS scores: 5.73-6.35• Preschool star rated license: All classes 5 stars• Preschool funding: Title I, EC, NC Pre-K, Dev Day, Fee for Service• 5 0f 6 K Teachers: KEA pilots

PK Demonstration ClassAsheboro City Schools K Demonstration ClassForsyth County Schools

PK Demonstration ClassEdgecombe County Schools

PK Demonstration ClassMartin County Schools K Demonstration ClassMartin County SchoolsPK Demonstration Class

Catawba County Schools

PK Demonstration ClassCabarrus County Schools PK Demonstration Class

Carteret County Schools K Demonstration ClassCarteret County Schools K Demonstration ClassPender County Schools

PK Demonstration ClassAsheboro City SchoolsK Demonstration ClassHaywood County Schools

NC Office of Early Learning Demonstration Program

What is Formative Assessment?

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‘Formative Assessment is’ Partner Activity

• Take 2-3 minutes to write your definition of formative assessment.

• Share your definition with your shoulder partner.

• Keep your definition to reflect on later.

“Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve student’s achievement of intended instructional outcomes.”

(Council of Chief State School Officers, Oct 2006)

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Formative Assessment is:

• a process used by teachers and children during play and learning activities,

• that provides feedback to the teachers and children,

• so that teachers can adjust their teaching to meet the needs of children, and

• so that children can understand what is expected of them.

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Formative Assessment

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Where Am I Now?

How Do I Close the

Gap?

FormativeAssessment

Where Am I

Going

What Are We Assessing?

-Foundations-Standard Course of Study-Individualized Education Programs

Five Developmental Domains

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Foundations for Early Learning and Development-NC Standard Course of Study CrosswalkNC Foundations for Early Learning and Development Standards • Goal APL-6: Children use a variety of

strategies to solve problems.• Indicators:• APL-6n: Describe the steps they will

use to solve a problem.• APL-6o: Evaluate different strategies

for solving a problem and select the strategy they feel will work without having to try it.

• APL-6p: Explain how they solved a problem to another person.

• APL-6q: Seek and make use of ideas and help from adults and peers to solve problems (“how can I make this paint get off my pants?”).

CCSS Mathematics 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice• Monitor and evaluate their

progress and change course if necessary.

• Check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually ask themselves, “Does this make sense?”

• Understand the approaches of others to solving complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.

5 Domains of Learning & Development:Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development Definition•Focuses on children’s ability to acquire, organize, and use information in increasingly complex ways.

•Children play an active role in their own cognitive development in search for understanding and meaning.

– They begin to explain, organize, construct, and predict.

– They learn to apply prior knowledge to new experiences, and then use this information to refine their understanding of concepts & form new understandings.

5 Domains of Learning & Development

Language Development & Communication Definition•Focuses on the foundational skills

– Speaking

– Listening

– Reading

– Writing

•Encompasses nonverbal & verbal language skills– Understanding language

– Speaking effectively

– Emergent literacy skills in early reading & writing

5 Domains of Learning & Development

Emotional-Social Development Definition•Focuses on children’s feelings about themselves & their ability to relate to others.

– Recognize emotions

– Communicate emotions

– Increase self-regulation (self-directed behavior which supports a child’s ability to remain focus and persist)

– Develop emotional regulation (ability to control one’s emotions)healthy relationships

– Develop social skills

5 Domains of Learning & Development

Approaches to Learning Definition•Focuses on how children learn and includes children’s attitudes toward and interest in learning.

– Curiosity

– Planning

– Flexibility

– Motivation

– Focus

– Problem-solving

– Persistence

5 Domains of Learning & Development

Health & Physical Development Definition•Focuses on physical growth, motor development, sound nutritional choices, self-care, & health/safety practices

– Adopt and maintain healthy behaviors

– Obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information & make appropriate health decisions

– Classify, organize, generalize & analyze health information

– Develop fundamental motor skills and movement patterns

What’s that Domain?

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Video: What’s the Domain?

Deireon and Davion

https://drive.google.com/a/martin.k12.nc.us/file/d/0Bx_GHdEC0JBNVDczeHN6cWpPRWs/view?usp=drive_web

How is Information Collected?

A teacher can collect evidence about students using a variety of strategies:

– talk with families– take photos– record student

conversations– write anecdotal notes– collect work samples– incorporate evidence from

other school educators (e.g., PE, OT, Speech, ELL)

How is Information Collected?

Teachers can learn about students throughout the day in a variety of settings

– whole group– small group– centers/stations– individual

How is Information Collected?

There are a variety of ways to learn about students DURING instruction

– observe students working

– ask probing questions– listen to student

thinking– review student work

Ask Probing Questions

What is a probe? • A probe is a question or a statement that

allows a teacher to search into, question closely, and investigate thoroughly what a student understands without leading or guiding the student toward a conclusion or answer.

Ask Probing Questions

Leading Questions –  That’s the top of the page, isn’t it? –  That’s not right, is it? –  You have four counters, right? –  You counted eleven cubes. If I count them again, we’ll have the same amount won’t we?

What might you ask the child so that you can uncover what they know and/or are able to do without leading them to the right answer?

Video Clip: Probing Questions

Janiyah and Amberhttps://drive.google.com/a/martin.k12.nc.us/file/d/0Bx_GHdEC0JBNeU9rUHdNcHRQRmc/view?usp=drive_web

Anecdotal Notes

Once you have asked the probing questions, how do you record the learning?

Documenting Observations

Just the Facts

WHO

WHAT

Where HOW

WHEN

Documenting Observations

Include Objective Words• Descriptions of gestures

and other actions• Quotations• Descriptions of facial

expressions

Avoid Subjective Words• Labels (shy, creative)• Intentions (wants to)• Evaluations (good job)• Judgments (beautiful,

sloppy)• Negatives (can’t, won’t)

Documenting Observations

Documenting Observations

Objective versus Subjective

Objective:•observable behavior•not influenced by opinion or emotions

Subjective:•cannot be verified•based on opinion and emotion

Example

• Luis picked a book he likes. He looked at it like a reader.

Well-Written Example

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Luis selected a book out of the book box. He quickly flipped the book over and turned it so that the book was upright with the cover facing him. Beginning at the front of the book he turned the pages one by one in order.

Documenting Observations

How can this non-example be turned into a well-written observation note?

1/31Trinity looked at a book. She demonstrated some reading-like behaviors.

Video

What Did You Observe?

• Share with your table -What domain(s)?

-What would you record in an anecdotal note?-What are other ways you could make note of the learning demonstrated?

Sorting the Data into Domains: Using Family Input

Daily Notes HomePre-K Daily NoteDate______Name_______________________I ate… none some most all I slept…yes noToday I…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Parent’s Concerns_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Family Survey

DIAL screening Parent Questionnaire

TS Gold Parent Information

Home Visits

Technology: Class Websites, Text Messaging, TS Gold

Loris Malaguzzi Quote

Teachers-like children and everyone else-feel the need to grow in their competences; they want to transform experiences into thought, thoughts into reflections, and reflections into new thoughts and new actions. they also feel a need to make predictions, to try things out, and to interpret them… Teachers must learn to interpret ongoing processes rather than wait to evaluate

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

• Discuss a challenge you have experienced

• Discuss a successful strategy you have used

Contact Informationhttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/earlylearning/demo

Karla CarpenterPreschool Transition SpecialistCatawba County Schoolskarla_carpenter@catawbaschools.net

Juliana HarrisDemo K TeacherEast End Elementaryjharris@martin.k12.nc.us

Carla GarrettDPI Title I ConsultantOffice of Early Learningcarla.garrett@dpi.nc.gov

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Questions/Comments

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Thank You!

Stay Connected!

• Office of Early Learning Listserv– join-office_of_early_learning_pre-k-grade3

@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

Resources▪ OEL Demonstration Programshttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/earlylearning/demo/

▪ NC Guide for the Early Yearshttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/curriculum/primaryk3/guide4early-years.pdf

•Play in the Early Yearshttp://earlychildhoodfunders.org/pdf/play07.pdf

Resources

▪ NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position Statement

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position%20statement%20Web.pdf

•Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartnershttps://www.naeyc.org/store/basics-of-developmentally-appropriate-practice-kindergarten

Resources

▪Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

▪Promoting Positive Outcomes for Children with Disabilities: Recommendations for Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PrmtgPositiveOutcomes.pdf