Formative Assessment in PreK Kindergarten for ALL Children

Formative Assessment in Pre-K & Kindergarten for ALL Children Karla Carpenter - Catawba Co Schools Juliana 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 2

Office of Early Learning (Pre-K – Grade 3) http: //www. ncpublicschools. org/earlylearning Each child is honored, respected, and empowered to achieve success in school and life. 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

NC’s Demonstration Program Vision Statement: • Pre-Kindergarten Classes • Kindergarten Classes http: //www. ncpublicschools. org/earlylearning/demo/ 4

Demonstration Program: Mission Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Lead by modeling, sharing, promoting, and articulating effective learning environments, curricula, and instructional practices 5

Demonstration Programs • 10 Demonstration Programs in NC – 8 Pre-K Classrooms – 6 Kindergarten Classrooms o POK (Power of Kindergarten) Teachers 6

Background ▪ Preschool Demonstration Programs Began 2001 -02 ▪ Kindergarten added 2010 -11 ▪ Funding provided by EC & Title I 7

Who Do We Serve? ▪ Teachers ▪ Teacher Assistants ▪ Principals & Central Office Administration 8

Guided Observations ▪ Offer the opportunity to visit inclusive preschool and kindergarten classrooms to view effective practices ▪ Classrooms reflect: – Cultural – Linguistic & – Ability diversity 9

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 10

Use of “CLASS” & “Edu. Snap” Also: “TPOT” (SEFEL)Pre-K Demos 11

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 0 f 6 K Teachers: KEA pilots

NC Office of Early Learning Demonstration Program PK Demonstration Class Catawba County Schools PK Demonstration Class Asheboro City Schools K Demonstration Class Forsyth County Schools PK Demonstration Class Edgecombe County Schools PK Demonstration Class Martin County Schools PK Demonstration Class Asheboro City Schools K Demonstration Class Haywood County Schools PK Demonstration Class Cabarrus County Schools PK Demonstration Class Carteret County Schools K Demonstration Class Pender County Schools

What is Formative Assessment? 14

‘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) 17

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. 18

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Formative Assessment Where Am I Going Formative Assessment How Do I Close the Gap? Where Am I Now? 20

What Are We Assessing? -Foundations -Standard Course of Study -Individualized Education Programs

Five Developmental Domains 22

Foundations for Early Learning and Development-NC Standard Course of Study Crosswalk NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development Standards CCSS Mathematics 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice • • Goal APL-6: Children use a variety of strategies to solve problems. Indicators: APL-6 n: Describe the steps they will use to solve a problem. APL-6 o: Evaluate different strategies for solving a problem and select the strategy they feel will work without having to try it. APL-6 p: Explain how they solved a problem to another person. APL-6 q: 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? ”). • • 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 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? 30

Video: What’s the Domain? Deireon and Davion https: //drive. google. com/a/martin. k 12. nc. us/file/d/0 Bx_GHd. EC 0 JBNVDcze. HN 6 c. Wp. PRWs/vie w? 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 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 Amber https: //drive. google. com/a/martin. k 12. nc. us/file/d/0 Bx_GHd. EC 0 JBNe. U 9 r. U Hd. Nc. HRQRmc/view? usp=drive_web

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

Documenting Observations WHO WHAT Just the Facts WHEN Where HOW

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 1/31 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? 1/31 Trinity 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

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 Information http: //www. ncpublicschools. org/earlylearning/demo Karla Carpenter Preschool Transition Specialist Catawba County Schools karla_carpenter@catawbaschools. net Juliana Harris Demo K Teacher East End Elementary jharris@martin. k 12. nc. us Carla Garrett DPI Title I Consultant Office of Early Learning carla. garrett@dpi. nc. gov 56

Questions/Comments Thank You! 57

Stay Connected! • Office of Early Learning Listserv – join-office_of_early_learning_pre-kgrade 3@lists. dpi. state. nc. us

Resources ▪ OEL Demonstration Programs http: //www. ncpublicschools. org/earlylearning/demo/ ▪ NC Guide for the Early Years http: //www. ncpublicschools. org/docs/curriculum/primary k 3/guide 4 early-years. pdf • Play in the Early Years http: //earlychildhoodfunders. org/pdf/play 07. pdf

Resources ▪ NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position Statement http: //www. naeyc. org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position% 20 statement%20 Web. pdf • Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Kindergartners https: //www. naeyc. org/store/basics-ofdevelopmentally-appropriate-practice-kindergarten

Resources ▪ Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation http: //www. naeyc. org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape. pd f ▪ Promoting Positive Outcomes for Children with Disabilities: Recommendations for Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation http: //www. naeyc. org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Prmtg. Posi tive. Outcomes. pdf