Infant/Toddler Assessment. Helping Teachers and Caregivers Teach and Care for Children

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1 Infant/Toddler Assessment Helping Teachers and Caregivers Teach and Care for Children

2 Reasons for assessment Understanding and connecting with children Caregivers get better ideas of a child s strengths Come to appreciate their individuality Build strong relationships with a child Monitoring progress Allows tracking over time Reassures families that their child is developing normally Provides data for further evaluation, if needed

3 Guiding and individualizing planning Regular assessment guides curricular planning for individual children Provides information about strengths, areas of difficulty so interactions, routines, materials and activities meets individual needs and interests Strengthening relationships and empowering families Regular sharing of information about the child creates a partnership Listening to families stories about their children creates opportunities of equality; shows their perspective and information is valued

4 What type of assessment? There are two types: 1. Developmental screening-a brief (30 minutes or less) procedure that is meant to gain information about a large number of children to see if any should be referred for further assessment.

5 The standardized screening process is for determining if sensory, behavioral, and/or developmental skills are progressing as expected. These tools can also assess physical health, mental health, vision, auditory and dental areas of development. A note of caution- screenings are limited and indicate only the possibility of a delay and needs to be followed by a more comprehensive and formal evaluation.

6 Includes: Parent observations Medical history Vision and hearing tests A commercial screening instrument Observation

7 Examples of Developmental Screening Instruments Ages and Stages Questionnaire BRIGANCE Early Childhood Screens

8 What Developmental Screenings Do You Use?

9 2. Developmental Assessment-the process of finding out what children know and can do. Individual or groups of children can be assessed. Results are compared to typical developmental milestones of children in the age range targeted with the assessment tool and goals of the program the child attends.

10 Uses for developmental assessment results: 1. Documenting infants and toddlers developmental progress 2. Informing classroom practices and curricula 3. Planning to meet individual needs of children 4. Improving programs based on child outcome data

11 Examples of Classroom Developmental Assessment Tools AEPS (Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming BRIGANCE Inventory of Early Development III Teaching Strategies Gold The Ounce Scale

12 What Developmental Classroom Assessment Tools Do You Use?

13 Guidelines for Selecting Assessment Tools Screening and assessment tools should be developmentally appropriate and created specifically for the age group in your care Assessment should utilize a variety of tools and processes, including children s work, observation records, and progress summaries

14 Continued Assessment tools should support children s development and learning; assessment should not make them feel bad about themselves. A focus on what a child can do independently and with assistance is the best marker of his or her growth and development.

15 Assessment should rely on procedures that occur during real activities and classroom experiences instead of putting the focus specifically on skills testing. Regular and periodic assessment should occur in a wide variety of circumstances with information about children s growth, development, and learning being systematically collected and recorded.

16 Teachers should be the primary assessor, but assessment should also promote parent involvement and encourage children to participate in self-evaluation Assessment should encourage parentteacher collaborations with information about children s growth, development, and performance being shared regularly by both parties NAEYC

17 A B C D

18 How to Organize the Data 1. Portfolios-support a strengthsbased approach to assessment by serving as a means to collect and showcase children s abilities 2. Developmental profiles-organizing information about the child into separate domains

19 Purposes of Assessment For children *Identify what children know *Identify children s special needs *Determine appropriate placement *Select appropriate curricula to meet children s individual needs *Refer children and, as appropriate, their families for additional services to programs and agencies

20 For families *Communicate with parents to provide information about their children s progress and learning *Relate school activities to home activities and experiences

21 For Early Childhood Programs *Make policy decisions regarding what is and is not appropriate for children *Determine how well and to what extent programs and services children receive are beneficial and appropriate

22 For Early Childhood Teachers *Identify children s skills, abilities, and needs *Make lesson and activity plans and set goals *Create new classroom arrangements *Select materials *Make decisions about how to implement learning activities *Report to parents and families about children s developmental status and achievement *Monitor and improve the teaching-learning process *Meet the individual needs of children

23 For the public *Inform the public regarding children s achievement *Provide a basis for public policy (e.g., legislation, recommendations, and statements)

24 Commonly Used Assessment Tools Ounce Scale: group.asp?ngroupinfoid=aounce Ages and Stages: ols/asq/index.htm

25 Continued Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum: ook/1270_ccforit.cfm High Scope Infant Toddler Assessment Tool: p?contentid=62

26 Continued BRIGANCE Inventory of Early /products/detail.asp?topic=toa&sub =ToA2&title=BrigIED2&Type=SCH&C ustid Battelle Developmental Inventory: di2/index.html

27 Continued Devereux Early Childhood Assessment-Screening: erver?pagename=deci_it_assessment

28 Finally All who engage in collaborative reflection benefit from sharing information about an individual infant or toddler-or the group as a whole. Missing pieces of knowledge are filled in, incorrect assumptions corrected, and alternative conclusions generated-and everyone comes away feeling part of the decision making. This critical part of the assessment process respects the multiple concerns and perspectives of all who are part of the infant and toddler caregiving team. James Elicker and Mary Benson McMullen

29 Resources Dichtelmiller, M. L., & Ensler, L (2004, January). Infant/Toddler Assessment. Young children on the Web, (1-7). Retrieved from Elicker, J., & McMullen, M. B. (2013, July). Appropriate and Meaningful Assessment in Family-Centered Programs. Young Children, 68(3), Florida Partnership for School Readiness. (2004, June 21). The Birth to Three Screening And Assessment Resource Guide. Retrieved from Kaplan Early Learning Company. (2016). Selecting an Appropriate Infant-Toddler Assessment. Retreived from

30 MA Child Care Resources. Internet Resources on commonly Used Assessment Tools. Retrieved from Morrison, G. S., (2010). Why is Assessement Important? Retrieved from